The Defendants
A podcast exploring how sexual assault cases move through the justice system… and why it never seems to work in favour of victims.
We want to know what has to change within the system for it to actually work, and we are interrogating what justice means in the aftermath of trauma.
This is a podcast where we figure out exactly how this system fails, why, and what to do about it.
Listen to the series.
Episode 01
First Encounters
We take a look at first encounters: with the justice system, with telling someone, and with the law. We're looking beyond the headlines to the root issues underneath, and exploring the first steps in the process for victims: disclosure and the decision to go to the police.
Episode 02
You Have the Right to an Attorney
We're trying to understand how we can better insert victims' rights into the legal process, without superseding the rights for accused individuals.
Episode 03
The Perfect Victim
We're looking at what makes an ideal victim in the eyes of the law, and society, and who is more likely to be believed.
Episode 04
Not Guilty
We're looking at what it takes to get a verdict of guilty or not guilty, and what it means.
Episode 05
Record Scratch Rewind
We're going backwards so we can map our way forwards. A deep dive into the legal history and case precedent that shapes how sexual assault is prosecuted today.
Episode 06 · Latest
I Went Through the Justice System and All I Got Was a Branded Stress Ball
A raw, powerful account of navigating the courtroom as a sexual assault survivor, and what justice (and the lack of it) actually feels like.