Originally posted on Millennial:
Embed from Getty Images Millennial writer Mike Jordan Laskey has a new, exclusive interview with Jerry Buting at NCR: Do you see any overlaps between the values at the heart of your work and those at the heart of your faith? My wife and I both look at our careers as more of a vocation than a job. Jesus reached out to the underclass of society, including the poor, mentally ill and imprisoned, and so did we. They are humans the same as anyone, but often are cast aside by the rest of society. Unfortunately, society doesn’t want to provide the financial and other resources for those who are charged with or convicted of crimes. What has happened in Wisconsin to indigent defense during my career is illustrative. The staff public defenders are salaried attorneys with good support staff and training, even if they have caseloads that are too high. But only about 60 percent of indigent defendants are represented by staff public defenders; the rest are appointed to private lawyers…