Ronald Sullivan: How I help free innocent people from prison
Рональд Салліван: Як я допомагаю визволити невинних із в'язниці
Ronald Sullivan is a leading theorist in the areas of criminal law, criminal procedure, trial practice and techniques, legal ethics and race theory. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
дуже довга подорож
a 19-hour, very long drive
під час 19-годин подорожі
на це питання - сотні разів,
a hundred more times, easily,
надзвичайно чудова.
wonderful, wonderful trip.
were away in Florida.
усім, хто вас слухає:
who will listen,
and Minnie and my kids!"
я працюю над
I have worked on
та 8 місяців у в'язниці
in Brooklyn, New York,
в Нью-Йорку,
в задній кишені
що він був у Дісней Ворлді.
in the prosecutor's file,
to his public defender.
громадському захиснику.
про існування чеку.
and we found it,
знайшла його там,
committed the crime.
що злочин вчинив інший.
Бруклінського районного прокурора.
from the Brooklyn District Attorney.
проектування програми,
in designing a program
"перегляд справ засуджених",
a unit in a prosecutor's office
належить до підрозділу прокуратури,
свої минулі справи
вони помилку чи ні.
they made mistakes.
significant time behind bars.
провела за ґратами.
чоловіків та жінок,
of the men and women
в рамках цієї програми.
in the course of this program.
у ньому було написано:
Справу сфабрикували.
I've been framed.
закритою,
like it was open and shut,
було придивитись до цієї справи.
a little bit closer at those cases.
and turned around and looked,
тоді вернулась назад і побачила,
and in jail for 17-some-odd years.
на 17 років у в'язниці.
тому ми зацікавились ними.
so we took a look at it.
і виникла невідповідність.
and there was an inconsistency.
яке вона назвала,
from where she said she was
свідчення неправдиві.
що він не винен,
that he didn't do it,
нечисте про свідка.
about this witness.
had a number on it.
свідчення були записані.
that this witness had a record.
20-річної давності,
of non-digitized papers
про те, що вона бачила.
29 years later.
справа виглядала вже закритою.
it looked open and shut.
that juvenile confessions
що зізнання неповнолітніх
поліції та прокурори.
were police and prosecutors.
це зізнання було примусове,
судово-медичну експертизу
зачісками,
different hairstyle,
"анульовуюче слухання,"
that judges say all the time,
що зазвичай каже в суді,
his codefendant, Mr. Stuckey,
містер Стакі,
at counsel table in his place.
на його місці сиділа його мама.
the rest of my life.
кажучи:
не робила цього.
не робила цього."
якщо я чогось і навчився
anything that I've learned,
переконання,
that just descends from above
дана нам зверху,
містер Стакі не був би у в'язниці.
wouldn't have died in prison.
додаткової хвилини -
just an extra minute --
і знайти чек,
find the receipt,
сказати: "Такого бути не може."
and say, "That cannot be."
would be alive today.
був би живий сьогодні.
з моїх улюблених віршів.
would always recite,
який я завжди цитуватиму.
я не зможу відв'язатися від цього,
якщо зловживатиму, відзвітую.
give account if I abuse it.
дати пораду
своє життя і кар'єру
their careers and their lives,
незалежно від того, чим ви займаєтесь,
whatever you do,
почувалися краще.
he was released from prison.
він зміг обійняти племінницю,
ніколи раніше не міг торкатися.
"Що ти хочеш зробити в першу чергу?"
you want to do?"
хочу пройтись по тротуару
to walk on the sidewalk
два тижні тому.
about two weeks ago.
when we met with him
ніхто не був несправедливо замкненим.
is locked up unjustly.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. - Clinical professor of lawRonald Sullivan is a leading theorist in the areas of criminal law, criminal procedure, trial practice and techniques, legal ethics and race theory.
Why you should listen
Professor Ronald Sullivan is the faculty director of the Harvard Criminal Justice Institute and the Harvard Trial Advocacy Workshop. Sullivan also serves as Faculty Dean of Winthrop House at Harvard College. He is the first African American ever appointed Faculty Dean in Harvard's history. He is a founding member and Senior Fellow of the Jamestown Project.
Sullivan has merged legal theory and practice over the course of his career in unique and cutting-edge ways. In 2014, he was tasked to design and implement a Conviction Review Unit (CRU) for the newly elected Brooklyn District Attorney. The CRU, designed to identify and exonerate wrongfully convicted persons, quickly became regarded as the model conviction integrity program in the nation. In its first year of operation alone, Sullivan discovered over 10 wrongful convictions, which the DA ultimately vacated. Some of the exonerated citizens had served more than 30 years in prison before they were released.
In 2008, Sullivan served as Chair, Criminal Justice Advisory Committee for then-Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign. In this capacity, his committee made policy recommendations on a range of issues in an effort to put into practice some of the best research in the field. He also served as a member of the National Legal Advisory Group for the Barack Obama Presidential Campaign. Finally, Sullivan was appointed Advisor to the Department of Justice Presidential Transition Team.
In 2007, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Sullivan was asked to create a system to solve a criminal justice crisis. More than 6,000 citizens were incarcerated in and around New Orleans without representation and with all official records destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Sullivan designed an indigent defense delivery system that resulted in the release of nearly all the 6000 inmates.
Sullivan still maintains an appellate and trial practice. He has represented persons ranging from politicians to professional athletes to recording artists to pro bono clients in criminal jeopardy. Representative clients include: The family of Michael Brown, former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez and the family of Usaamah Rahim.
Sullivan is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College and the Harvard Law School, where he served as President of the Harvard Black Law Students Association and as General Editor of the Harvard BlackLetter Law Journal.
Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. | Speaker | TED.com