The Defendants

Record Scratch Rewind

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 04:00:00 +0000

We’re going backwards so we can map our way forwards.

Key Topics

0:10 - The law has a gender
2:06 - Common law and British colonial history
3:15 - A system designed to exclude: patriarchal origins of law
6:11 - Women as property
8:11 - Spousal rape criminalized (1983)
8:24 - Consent enters the Canadian Criminal Code (1992)
9:17 - Rape shield laws (1992)
9:55 - Why the system moves so slowly
10:32 - Reactionary periods and stalled progress
11:41 - Revenge porn and deepfakes
12:38 - "Consent is like a cup of tea" metaphor and stealthing
13:43 - Life after #MeToo

All sources, statistics, multimedia clips, and music credits are available on Substack.

About The Defendants

Support This Project

Thanks for listening and being a part of this conversation. This is a completely grassroots, independent podcast. Your support directly funds our ability to continue.

Subscribe to our Substack for additional content and ongoing conversations. We also have a mail club! Get monthly artwork and letters to continue the conversation… offline, where the best communities are built.
Make a one-time donation. Visit: https://buymeacoffee.com/thedefendants
Subscribe to this show on your preferred podcast platform Apple | Spotify
Share with a friend and help grow the conversation

Get in Touch

Questions or ideas about the show? defendantspodoutreach@protonmail.com
Follow on Instagram: @thedefendantspodcast | @jane_aster_roe
Media appearances: daltonhiggins@gmail.com

Resources for Survivors

SA Survivor Resource Document - This document contains Canadian, U.S, and global sources to find guidance, information, and aid for survivors of sexual assault. Detailed descriptions of each resource within the document.

Our Team

Jane Aster Roe - Executive Producer, Host
Rachel Arundel - Executive Producer
Katie Jensen - Executive Producer, Editor, Sound Designer
Jessica Strachan - Story Producer
Charlotte Gregg - Research Producer
Isis Madrid - Editor, Sound Designer
Rachel Bromberg - Fact Checker
Dawson Fleming - Production Assistant
Michelle Crossman - Mental Health Consultant
Lindsey Keene - Outreach Coordinator
Cheryl Grossman - Legal
Dalton Higgins - Publicity
Kathlyn Gardner - Events

Thank you for listening. Be kind to yourself and to one another.

Not Guilty

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 04:00:00 +0000

We’re looking at what it takes to get a verdict of guilty or not guilty and what it means.

Key Topics

1:00 - The numbers: 2 guilty verdicts out of 1,000 assaults
1:25 - Guilty vs not guilty: what the terms mean
1:42 - Beyond all reasonable doubt
4:03 - Narratives that can be created around facts
6:04 - What is considered evidence?
7:32 - Why do prosecutors drop cases?
9:04 - The odds of winning sexual assault cases
10:48 - Jury bias, victim performance, trauma from trial
13:27 - Speedy trial law and stayed charges
16:35 - When the legal outcome doesn't match evidence of harm

All sources, statistics, multimedia clips, and music credits are available on Substack.

About The Defendants

Support This Project

Thanks for listening and being a part of this conversation. This is a completely grassroots, independent podcast. Your support directly funds our ability to continue.

Subscribe to our Substack for additional content and ongoing conversations. We also have a mail club! Get monthly artwork and letters to continue the conversation… offline, where the best communities are built.
Make a one-time donation. Visit: https://buymeacoffee.com/thedefendants
Subscribe to this show on your preferred podcast platform Apple | Spotify
Share with a friend and help grow the conversation

Get in Touch

Questions or ideas about the show? defendantspodoutreach@protonmail.com
Follow on Instagram: @thedefendantspodcast | @jane_aster_roe
Media appearances: daltonhiggins@gmail.com

Resources for Survivors

Our Team

Thank you for listening. Be kind to yourself and to one another.

The Perfect Victim

Thu, 4 Jun 2026 04:00:00 +0000

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.

Key Topics

0:11 - The week before Jane's case went to trial
1:57 - The damsel in distress archetype
3:17 - Nils Christie's ideal victim theory
4:51 - Phil's story: when male survivors are dismissed
8:00 - Ann's case: when victims don't fit the mold
9:34 - Race and credibility
11:03 - Vanessa's story: when assumptions are made
12:25 - Lem's experience: becoming your own advocate
13:06 - Mental illness and credibility
18:40 - Why the "perfect victim" stereotype is a trap

All sources, statistics, multimedia clips, and music credits are available on Substack.

About The Defendants

Support This Project

Thanks for listening and being a part of this conversation. This is a completely grassroots, independent podcast. Your support directly funds our ability to continue.

Subscribe to our Substack for additional content and ongoing conversations. We also have a mail club! Get monthly artwork and letters to continue the conversation… offline, where the best communities are built.
Make a one-time donation. Visit: https://buymeacoffee.com/thedefendants
Subscribe to this show on your preferred podcast platform Apple | Spotify
Share with a friend and help grow the conversation

Get in Touch

Questions or ideas about the show? defendantspodoutreach@protonmail.com
Follow on Instagram: @thedefendantspodcast | @jane_aster_roe
Media appearances: daltonhiggins@gmail.com

Resources for Survivors

Our Team

Thank you for listening. Be kind to yourself and to one another.

You Have The Right To An Attorney

Thu, 28 May 2026 04:00:00 +0000

We’re trying to understand how we can better insert victims rights into the legal process… without superseding the rights for accused individuals.

Key Topics

0:10 - Accused rights and victim rights
3:56 - Jane's police interview
6:32 - Understanding legal terminology: complainant, defendant, accused
7:51 - Who supports victims through the system
10:57 - Shannon's story: the permanence and power of a statement
12:07 - Cross-examination and victim preparation
15:18 - Defence lawyer perspectives
20:16 - Striking a balance between accused and complainants' rights

All sources, statistics, multimedia clips, and music credits are available on Substack.

About The Defendants

Support This Project

Thanks for listening and being a part of this conversation. This is a completely grassroots, independent podcast. Your support directly funds our ability to continue.

Subscribe to our Substack for additional content and ongoing conversations. We also have a mail club! Get monthly artwork and letters to continue the conversation… offline, where the best communities are built.
Make a one-time donation. Visit: https://buymeacoffee.com/thedefendants
Subscribe to this show on your preferred podcast platform Apple | Spotify
Share with a friend and help grow the conversation

Get in Touch

Questions or ideas about the show? defendantspodoutreach@protonmail.com
Follow on Instagram: @thedefendantspodcast | @jane_aster_roe
Media appearances: daltonhiggins@gmail.com

Resources for Survivors

Our Team

Thank you for listening. Be kind to yourself and to one another.

First Encounters

Wed, 20 May 2026 13:38:36 +0000

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 we’re exploring the first steps in the process for victims: disclosure and the decision to go to the police.

Key Topics

0:16 - Jane's personal disclosure story
2:13 - Headlines of the #MeToo Era
3:20 - Sexual assault statistics and underreporting
5:32 - The justice system is not broken (because it has never worked)
7:17 - Shannon's story: breaking five years of silence
11:32 - Riley's experience: deciding not to go to the police after experiencing grooming
12:20 - Georgia's experience: deciding not to go to the police after experiencing molestation
12:58 - Cait's experience: eight years in the system
13:45 - Victims' understanding of the legal system
15:17 - Getting independent legal advice
18:42 - What needs to change?

All sources, statistics, multimedia clips, and music credits are available on Substack.

About The Defendants

Support This Project

Thanks for listening and being a part of this conversation. This is a completely grassroots, independent podcast. Your support directly funds our ability to continue.

Subscribe to our Substack for additional content and ongoing conversations. We also have a mail club! Get monthly artwork and letters to continue the conversation… offline, where the best communities are built.
Make a one-time donation. Visit: https://buymeacoffee.com/thedefendants
Subscribe to this show on your preferred podcast platform Apple | Spotify
Share with a friend and help grow the conversation

Get in Touch

Questions or ideas about the show? defendantspodoutreach@protonmail.com
Follow on Instagram: @thedefendantspodcast | @jane_aster_roe
Media appearances: daltonhiggins@gmail.com

Resources for Survivors

Our Team

Thank you for listening. Be kind to yourself and to one another.

I Told a Friend

defendantspodoutreach@protonmail.com (Aster Roe Productions) — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 04:00:00 +0000

I didn’t know how to talk about it.

Or even what to call it.

First, I told a friend.

The Defendants is a podcast about what happens after.. how sexual assault cases move through the justice system, and why so many of them fall apart.

It starts here.

This is The Defendants.

About The Defendants

Support This Project

Thanks for listening and being a part of this conversation. This is a completely grassroots, independent podcast. Your support directly funds our ability to continue.

Subscribe to our Substack for additional content and ongoing conversations. We also have a mail club! Get monthly artwork and letters to continue the conversation… offline, where the best communities are built.
Make a one-time donation. Visit: https://buymeacoffee.com/thedefendants
Subscribe to this show on your preferred podcast platform Apple | Spotify
Share with a friend and help grow the conversation

Get in Touch

Questions or ideas about the show? defendantspodoutreach@protonmail.com
Follow on Instagram: @thedefendantspodcast | @jane_aster_roe
Media appearances: daltonhiggins@gmail.com

Resources for Survivors

Our Team

Thank you for listening. Be kind to yourself and to one another.

What is The Defendants?

defendantspodoutreach@protonmail.com (Aster Roe Productions) — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 23:14:01 +0000

The Defendants is 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. About The Defendants The Defendants is 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. Support This Project Thanks for listening and being a part of this conversation. This is a completely grassroots, independent podcast. Your support directly funds our ability to continue. - Subscribe to our Substack for additional content and ongoing conversations. We also have a mail club! Get monthly artwork and letters to continue the conversation… offline, where the best communities are built. - Make a one-time donation. Visit: https://buymeacoffee.com/thedefendants - Subscribe to this show on your preferred podcast platform Apple | Spotify - Share with a friend and help grow the conversation Get in Touch - Questions or ideas about the show? defendantspodoutreach@protonmail.com - Follow on Instagram: @thedefendantspodcast | @jane_aster_roe - Media appearances: daltonhiggins@gmail.com Resources for Survivors SA Survivor Resource Document - This document contains Canadian, U.S, and global sources to find guidance, information, and aid for survivors of sexual assault. Detailed descriptions of each resource within the document. Our Team Jane Aster Roe - Executive Producer, Host Rachel Arundel - Executive Producer Katie Jensen - Executive Producer, Editor, Sound Designer Jessica Strachan - Story Producer Charlotte Gregg - Research Producer Isis Madrid - Editor, Sound Designer Rachel Bromberg - Fact Checker Dawson Fleming - Production Assistant Michelle Crossman - Mental Health Consultant Lindsey Keene - Outreach Coordinator Cheryl Grossman - Legal Dalton Higgins - Publicity Kathlyn Gardner - Events Thank you for listening. Be kind to yourself and to one another.