In Probation Case, Defense Seeks To Justify Hires

As federal prosecutors try to demonstrate what they call a sham hiring process at the Massachusetts probation department, they're having a little bit of trouble explaining the flaws in the system.

Defense attorneys are eliciting positive testimony from many of the government's witnesses about how hiring was handled under former probation commissioner John O'Brien and his two co-defendants.

Listen above to a full report from WBUR's David Boeri.