Just Justice

Eve Hanan wrote a law review article called Terror and Tenderness in Criminal Law that blew my mind. She makes the argument that opportunities for leniency in the criminal legal system -- parole, clemency, compassionate release -- seduce us into believing the system is just and merciful, when in reality, the system is far too harsh for far too many. She even takes on the idea of hope and suggests that hope is a distraction from the...

This week on Just Justice we talk with Marissa Bluestine, Assistant Director of the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. Marissa is a former innocence lawyer and one of the nation's leading experts on Conviction Integrity Units (CIUs). CIUs are specialized units within prosecutor offices that review convictions with strong claims of actual innocence. Marissa gui...

Steve Zeidman is a criminal defense hero who has spent his entire career fighting for people with nowhere else to turn. In this episode, Steve walks us through some of his most compelling efforts to gain freedom for people who would otherwise spend their lives in prison. Steve's zealous advocacy for second chances will leave you inspired by his work and horrified by a criminal legal system that seems to prioritize finality over hum...

One night, in November 1994, Dina Windle was coming from law school in Little Rock, Arkansas when she was abducted and raped. The man who assaulted her was sentenced to die for a different rape and murder. In this episode of Just Justice, Dina shares the story of her assault, the trial and its aftermath, and how she came to be an advocate for the man who caused her such harm. Small in stature, huge in heart and compassion, Dina Win...

Have you ever wondered about forgiveness after a murder? How do surviving family members forgive the person who murdered their loved ones? Who gives forgiveness? Who gets it? What makes one person forgive and another not? Join me in conversation with Dr. Kristen Discola, author of Redefining Murder, Transforming Emotion: An Exploration of Forgiveness after Loss Due to Homicide, as we discuss the science...

In this bonus episode of Just Justice, join me in an unedited post-election night recording of a fascinating and sometimes frightening live conversation with law professor Kim Wehle about her new book, Pardon Power: How the Pardon System Works and Why. We discuss the history of the pardon power, look back on how President Donald Trump used his pardon power in his first term in office, and predict what we might expect from him in th...

Susan Bandes is a pioneer in the study of law and emotions. The law looks for remorse from people who commit crimes at sentencing and in the parole process. But as Professor Bandes warns, judging remorse is far more difficult than it seems. 

Ben Austen, author of Correction: Parole, Prison and the Possibility of Change, provides a rare glimpse into the often opaque and dysfunctional parole process. He shares the stories of two men who spend decades in prison before they present their cases to the parole board. In the telling, Austen reveals the possibilities and the brokenness of parole as a vehicle for second chances, and asks important questions about whether parole ...

David Singleton has worked for the poor and against racial inequity throughout his career. Join us as we talk with David about being a public defender, his service as the Executive Director of the Ohio Justice, and the "Beyond Guilt" project. David exhorts us to "never write anyone off," and persuasively makes the case for second chances. 

David is a law professor and Associate Dean for Experiential and Clinical Programs at UDC Sch...

Bobby Bostic was only 16-years-old when he was sentenced to 241 years for an armed robbery in Missouri where no one was seriously injured. In this episode, Bobby takes us through the heartbreak and hope that he carried with him throughout his 29 years in prison, where he took classes, wrote books (8 to date!), and transformed. Even the sentencing judge became an advocate for Bobby, and helped create a new law that gave Bobby a seco...

Becky Feldman is the Director of the Second Look Network (SLN) at the Sentencing Project, an organization that provides support to attorneys and advocates across the country who represent people serving lengthy and often unfair sentences. Becky also is a former public defender, a former prosecutor, and a person who lost her brother to murder. Join us as we discuss how that tragedy shaped the course of her diverse and ...

What happens to children who are sentenced to life without parole for murder and then later, sometimes decades later, have the chance to be released from prison? Join me in conversation with Dr. Tarika Daftary- Kapur as she shares her research about what really happens to people sentenced as juveniles who grow up in prison and then receive a second chance. Do they succeed on the outside? Do they go on to commit more c...