The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees a fundamental right: "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right...to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence." In the landmark 1963 case Gideon v. Wainwright, the Supreme Court affirmed that this right is essential to a fair trial and requires the state to provide an attorney to defendants who cannot afford one. In theory, this promise ensures that every person, regardless of their wealth, stands equal before the law, equipped with a zealous advocate to challenge the government's power. This volume of Criminal Justice Exposed confronts the vast and tragic gap between that promise and the reality faced by millions of Americans every year. The right to an attorney has, for many, become the right to an overworked, underfunded, and unsupported public defender who lacks the time, resources, or staff to mount a meaningful defense. This is the defense crisis: a systemic failure that makes a mockery of the Sixth Amendment and turns the adversarial system into a conveyor belt of plea bargains and wrongful convictions.
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