Author Topic: Some Advice From A Female Public Defender  (Read 2937 times)

Teresa Heilevang

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Some Advice From A Female Public Defender
« on: February 12, 2010, 08:30:30 PM »

First, let me say I love my job and it is a privilege to work for my clients. I wish I could do more for them. That being said, there are a few things that need to be discussed.

You have the right to remain silent. So SHUT THE f..k UP. Those cops are completely serious when they say your statements can and will be used against you. There is just no need to babble on like it’s a drink and dial session. They are just pretending to like you and be interested in you.

When you come to court, consider your dress. If you’re charged with a DUI, don’t wear a Budweiser shirt. If you have some miscellaneous drug charge, think twice about clothing with a marijuana leaf on it or a t-shirt with the “UniBonger” on it. Long sleeves are very nice for covering tattoos and track marks. Try not to be visibly drunk when you show up.

Consider bathing and brushing your teeth. This is just as a courtesy to me who has to stand next to you in court. Smoking 5 generic cigarettes to cover up your bad breath is not the same as brushing. Try not to cough and spit on me while you speak and further transmit your strep, flu, and hepatitis A through Z.

I’m a lawyer, not your fairy godmother. I probably won’t find a loophole or technicality for you, so don’t be pissed off. I didn’t beat up your girlfriend, steal that car, rob that liquor store, sell that crystal meth, or rape that 13 year old. By the time we meet, much of your fate has been sealed, so don’t be too surprised by your limited options and that I’m the one telling you about them.

Don’t think you’ll improve my interest in your case by yelling at me, telling me I’m not doing anything for you, calling me a public pretender or complaining to my supervisor. This does not inspire me, it makes me hate you and want to work with you even less.

It does not help if you leave me nine messages in 17 minutes; especially if you leave them all on Saturday night and early Sunday morning. This just makes me want to stab you in the eye when we finally meet.

For the guys: Don’t think I’m amused when you flirt or offer to “do me.” You can’t successfully rob a convenience store, forge a signature, pawn stolen merchandise, get through a day without drinking, control your temper, or talk your way out of a routine traffic stop. I figure your performance in other areas is just as spectacular, and the thought of your shriveled unwashed body near me makes me want to kill you and then myself.

For the girls: I know your life is rougher than mine and you have no resources. I’m not going to insult you by suggesting you leave your abusive pimp/boyfriend, that you stop taking meth, or that your stop stealing shit. I do wish you’d stop beating the crap out of your kids and leaving your needles out for them to play with because you aren’t allowing them to have a life that is any better than yours.

For the morons: Your second grade teacher was right, neatness counts. Just clean up! When you rob the store, don’t leave your wallet. When you drive into the front of the bank, don’t leave the front license plate. When you rape/assault/rob a woman on the street, don’t leave behind your cell phone. After you abuse your girlfriend, don’t leave a note saying that you’re sorry.

If you are being chased by the cops and you have dope in your pocket, dump it. These cops are not geniuses. They are out of shape and want to go to Krispy Kreme and most of all go home. They will not scour the woods or the streets for your 2 grams of meth. But they will check your pockets, idiot. 2 grams is not worth six months of jail.

Don’t be offended and say you were harassed because the security was following you all over the store. Girl, you were wearing an electronic ankle bracelet with your mini skirt. And you were stealing. That’s not harassment, that’s good store security.

And those kids you churn out: how is it possible? You’re out there breeding like feral cats. What exactly is the attraction of having sex with other meth addicts? You are lacking in the most basic aspects of hygiene, deathly pale, greasy, grey-toothed, twitching and covered with open sores. How can you be having sex? You make my baby-whoring crack head clients look positively radiant by comparison.

"I didn't put it all the way in." Not a defense.

"All the money is gone now." Not a defense

"The bitch deserved it." Not a defense.

"But that dope was so stepped on, I barely got high." Not a defense.

"She didn't look thirteen." Possibly a defense; it depends.

"She didn't look six." Never a defense, you just need to die.

For those rare clients that say thank-you, leave a voice mail, send a card or flowers, you are very welcome. I keep them all, and they keep me going more than my pitiful cost of living increase.

For the idiots who ask me how I sleep at night: I sleep just fine, thank you. There's nothing wrong with any of my clients that could not have been fixed with money or the presence of at least one caring adult in their lives. But that window has closed, and that loss diminishes us all.
"Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History ! "
 

bulldog75

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Re: Some Advice From A Female Public Defender
« Reply #1 on: February 12, 2010, 08:37:37 PM »

Here you go.
Citizens sleep peacfully at night knowing that rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf - George Orwell

fightingquaker13

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Re: Some Advice From A Female Public Defender
« Reply #2 on: February 12, 2010, 09:27:49 PM »
Amen M'lette. To quote a high school friend of mine who became a federal PD "I hate most of my clients, I just hate the government more".  Spoken like a good libertarian.
FQ13

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Re: Some Advice From A Female Public Defender
« Reply #3 on: February 13, 2010, 08:28:35 AM »
My brother does PD work occasionally. Some of the stories he tells me . . .

Best one was the guy caught with the smoking gun in his hand, body in front of him, bullet ballistics was a perfect match, etc. etc. He actually got royally pissed at my brother who got the Murder 1 and death penalty reduced to a long jail sentence. Apparently my brother was supposed to get the brother off completely, hence the anger on the part of the perp.

Criminals really are stupid, as is most of the general population as well.
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do this to others and I require the same from them"

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Re: Some Advice From A Female Public Defender
« Reply #4 on: February 13, 2010, 11:23:06 AM »
My brother does PD work occasionally. Some of the stories he tells me . . .

Best one was the guy caught with the smoking gun in his hand, body in front of him, bullet ballistics was a perfect match, etc. etc. He actually got royally pissed at my brother who got the Murder 1 and death penalty reduced to a long jail sentence. Apparently my brother was supposed to get the brother off completely, hence the anger on the part of the perp.

Criminals really are stupid, as is most of the general population as well.


see thats why I could never be a PD...


"Your honor, members of the jury, my client did, he is scum and should have the needle shoved in his arm right now, the defense rests."

 ;D

I always break all the clay pigeons,  some times its even with lead.

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Re: Some Advice From A Female Public Defender
« Reply #5 on: Today at 06:18:15 AM »

callithump

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Re: Some Advice From A Female Public Defender
« Reply #5 on: February 14, 2010, 01:15:27 AM »
I don't feel one bit sorry for ths FPD. "You are where you want to be".
Lay off the 'people suck' routine and find another job jabbermouth. :-*
I used to work there too.

Walter45Auto

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Re: Some Advice From A Female Public Defender
« Reply #6 on: February 15, 2010, 04:37:52 PM »

see thats why I could never be a PD...


"Your honor, members of the jury, my client did, he is scum and should have the needle shoved in his arm right now, the defense rests."

 ;D



Sounds similar to the reason I hoped that my brother had a court date that time I had Jury duty. I was hoping to be able to stand up and say "This is my brother, and I can tell you RIGHT NOW, He's GUILTY! Whatever it is, HE DID IT!"  ;D
"If You seek to do me harm, I don't care about your past." - Michael Bane

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Re: Some Advice From A Female Public Defender
« Reply #7 on: February 15, 2010, 05:01:33 PM »
Sounds similar to the reason I hoped that my brother had a court date that time I had Jury duty. I was hoping to be able to stand up and say "This is my brother, and I can tell you RIGHT NOW, He's GUILTY! Whatever it is, HE DID IT!"  ;D

Man, I thought my brother and I had problems getting along!  I need to have my mother read this... makes us look good by comparison.   ;D
"...to preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them..."  --Richard H. Lee

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Re: Some Advice From A Female Public Defender
« Reply #8 on: February 18, 2010, 12:59:13 AM »
WOW! 

It is amazing to me that a PD would even have to say that stuff.  What she describes seems so obvious to me.  I guess I am very lucky that I cannot relate to any of that.  I live in a different world.  She must be pretty tough to deal with that day after day.  Doubt if I could or would.

 

 

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