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595
August 26, 2016

Deep End of the Pool

What do you do when you're thrown into a situation you’re not prepared for? And while you’re flailing around—what happens to the people who depend on you? This week we present stories of people who find themselves in over their heads, including an attorney who knows little about criminal law assigned to defend a young man facing twenty years in prison.

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Markus Spiske

Note: The internet version of this episode contains un-beeped curse words. BEEPED VERSION.

Prologue

Host Ira Glass talks to Aaryn Zhou. When she was nine, her father threw her into the deep end of pool to teach her to swim. In this classic sink-or-swim scenario, she sank. (6 1/2 minutes)

By

Ira Glass
Act One

If You Cannot Afford an Attorney, Some Random Dude Will Be Appointed to You

A lawyer with almost no experience in criminal law is assigned to a criminal case with a sentence of 20 years to life. This happened because, in Louisiana, like in a few states, public defenders’ offices are so short-staffed that courts are ordering private attorneys to take pro bono clients. Reporter David Zax tells the story. (29 minutes)

By

David Zax
Annotation

Jack Bailey, Meet Trastavien Hardy

Act Two

Mein Camp

Sometimes an entire government has to dive into the deep end of the pool and do something it’s never done before. One of our producers Karen Duffin has the story of the US government doing just that… in a high stakes sink or swim situation. Against a foe seeking global domination. Karen wrote a blog post elaborating on this story. (19 minutes)

By

Karen Duffin

Song:

“Wernher Von Braun” by Tom Lehrer & “Deep Water” by Portishead
Act Extra

Behind the Scenes of a Secret Interrogation Camp

Related

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What do you do when you think your apartment is being bugged? You call the apartment de-buggers.
842: 51 Days
Oct. 4, 2024

Part One: The Abduction

On this week’s show, we’re airing excerpts of interviews with former hostages produced by an Israeli podcast, Echad Bayom.
264: Special Treatment
May 7, 2004

Act Two: Except For That One Problem, It's Perfect

Gregory Warner reports on a program that solves a problem that's been plaguing prisons for years.

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May 9, 2008

The Giant Pool of Money

The surprisingly entertaining story of how the U.S. got itself into a housing crisis.

77
Sept. 26, 1997

Pray

Can the secular world and the religious world understand each other?

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This American Life is produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago and delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange.

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