From Behind Bars to Passing the Bar: A Jailhouse Lawyer’s Journey Through Louisiana’s Criminal Justice System.
1 CLE Credit
In a Q&A format, Sophie Cull as moderator and Calvin will candidly recount Calvin’s journey within Louisiana’s legal system as an impoverished defendant during the 1980s. He will shed light on the daunting challenges he encountered while attempting to obtain his records, navigate the appeals process, and fight his case without external legal assistance. Calvin will explore how evolving laws throughout his incarceration placed greater barriers for prisoners, particularly those from impoverished backgrounds, to access the justice system. Calvin will touch on the distinctive dynamics of attorney-client relationships and illuminate the crucial role played by jailhouse lawyers within the legal landscape. He will describe how he and fellow prisoners at Angola’s prison law library managed to educate themselves on the law and build friendships that sustained them in the face of impossible odds.
Moderator: Sophie Cull is a field strategist and philanthropic advisor dedicated to advancing “second look” litigation and advocacy, with a focus on creating opportunities for individuals serving long and life sentences to have a second chance. Inspired by Sister Helen Prejean’s influential book, “Dead Man Walking”. Sophie relocated from Australia to the U.S. to work in legal offices providing defense for individuals on Louisiana's death row. Sophie's experience advocating for individuals facing severe punishments taught her the power of storytelling to foster empathetic connections across structural divides. She has authored numerous academic articles and reports that shed light on critical issues such as racial discrimination in jury selection and prosecutorial charging decisions in capital cases. In collaboration with Calvin Duncan and sociology professor Dr. Marcus Kondkar, Sophie co-founded The Visiting Room Project, a narrative-based film experience featuring over 100 interviews with individuals serving life without the possibility of parole at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Sophie currently serves as the Criminal Justice Program Director at the Vital Projects Fund.
Calvin Duncan, hailed by New York Magazine as one of the nation’s “most renowned jailhouse lawyers”; is a tireless advocate for people in prison who have no access to legal counsel. Falsely accused of murder at the young age of 19, Calvin endured a life sentence without the possibility of parole until he was finally released after serving 28 ½ years in Louisiana prisons in 2011 with the assistance of the Innocence Project New Orleans, which he co-founded from inside prison in 2001. While incarcerated, Calvin took it upon himself to study the law, providing legal aid to countless fellow prisoners, including those on death row. Journalist and fellow prisoner Wilbert Rideau, who spent 44 years in prison, praised him as “the most brilliant legal mind in Angola.” While pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Paralegal Studies from Tulane University, Calvin initiated the Light of Justice Project, collaborating with Louisiana attorney Ben Cohen to bring the issue of non-unanimous jury verdicts before the United States Supreme Court. After 23 petitions for certiorari, the Court finally granted Ramos v. Louisiana, ruling non-unanimous juries as unconstitutional and instilling hope for thousands of incarcerated individuals nationwide. Calvin is also a co-creator of The Visiting Room Project, a storytelling project about people serving life without the possibility of parole at Angola Prison, for which he was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered in 2022. In 2023, Calvin achieved his lifelong dream of completing law school, obtaining a juris doctor degree from Lewis and Clark Law School in Oregon.