http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Samaia/Where%20We%20Live%2003-25-2013.mp3
Gideon v. Wainwright is arguably one of the most influential cases in law history. Fifty years ago this month, it changed American law by providing counsel to those who could not afford it on their own.
Today, on Where We Live, we reflect with Connecticut public defenders on this landmark verdict. The anniversary comes in the midst of funding troubles for public defenders and concerns about overzealous and overreaching prosecutions. We talk about work being done in the state to free those who have been wrongfully convicted.
Later, we'll hear the story of Timothy Cole, who was wrongfully convicted and died in a Texas prison. The Timothy Cole Act has made those falsely convicted of a crime in Texas eligible for compensation and college tuition.
Cole was that state’s first posthumous exoneration.