Sanctuary in the Jungle

About Sanctuary in the Jungle

Amidst a plethora of legal podcasts discussing case breakdowns, legal news, and true crime, Sanctuary in the Jungle offers a look into the lives and motivations of the lawyers themselves. Sanctuary in the Jungle is a criminal defense podcast discussing the vital role criminal defense attorneys play in the justice system. Drawing on insights from renowned attorneys Edward Bennett Williams and Michael Tigar, the podcast likens criminal courts to a "sanctuary" for rational decision making as opposed to the everyday "jungle-like" environment. Outside of the courts, decisions are often driven by emotion and intuition, which can lead to arbitrary and unjust outcomes. Criminal courts, in contrast, were designed to function as a carefully structured system where decisions are made based on evidence and legal standards. The sanctuary mindset must be used if we are to ensure that everyone, regardless of their personal background or situation, receives a fair trial. Through engaging conversations with defense attorneys and advocates, Sanctuary in the Jungle highlights the importance of upholding justice, dignity, and humanity in legal proceedings while illustrating how attorneys endure the emotionally weighty process.

Publisher

Aaron Nelson

Category

true crime

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

22 Oct 2025

Latest episode

24 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

20 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   24 Sept 2026

   Tadpoles Aren’t Frogs: Defending Kids in Juvenile Court | Ben Gonring

   Before this podcast had a name, before COVID, it began as a collection of conversations with friends. This is the very first interview ever taped for this project, pulled out of the archives. Meet Attorney Ben Gonring, a Madison, Wisconsin public defender who's spent thirty years as a shield protecting kids in juvenile court. Ben has a cartoon taped next to his desk of a prosecutor asking a judge to charge a tadpole as a frog — and it's become the lens through which he sees his entire career....

2. 

   3 Sept 2026

   The Power of Human Emotion in the Courtroom | Andrea Lyon

   Nineteen times, Andrea Lyon stood in front of twelve people and asked them to spare her client’s life. Nineteen times, those people chose not to convict the death penalty. Over her ongoing 50 year career, the trial attorney the Chicago Tribune dubbed "The Angel of Death Row" began in the Cook County Public Defender's Office, where she rose to become Chief of the Homicide Task Force. Of the more than 30 potential capital cases she defended at the trial level, she took 19 all the way through th...

3. 

   13 Aug 2026

   Has Hollywood Ruined the Presumption of Innocence? | Steve Hurley

   In this episode, we discuss the growing gap between what happens in a real trial and what shows up on screen, why Hollywood keeps inventing drama when the truth is already dramatic enough, and how those choices have reshaped the way the public understands the presumption of innocence. Our guest is uniquely positioned to see both sides of this gap. Steve Hurley has spent decades as a criminal defense attorney in Madison, Wisconsin. He's also written for legal TV shows and movies including Prim...

Contact Sanctuary in the Jungle

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.