Public Defenders Will Be Focus At "A Night For Social Justice" Event At Duquesne University
PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) - On Tuesday, May 19, Duquesne University's School of Law will host "A Night for Social Justice" at Hanley Hall in classroom 203. The event will be open to alumni, students, staff, and to the general public.
The center piece of this event will be a showing of the HBO Documentary "Gideon's Army," which profiles three southern public defenders trained by the Gideon's Promise organization.
This past Sunday, Jon Rapping, founder of Gideon's Promise, joined Chris Moore on News Radio 1020 KDKA-AM to discuss the history of public defenders and the HBO documentary.
Rapping spent 10 years working as a public defender in Washington DC before having stints in Georgia and Louisiana and will be a part of the panel discussion at the "Social Justice" event on Tuesday evening.
"Many of us who aren't familiar with the criminal justice system don't really understand that it is a system that targets, monitors, punishes, and prosecutes people disproportionately based on income and race," said Rapping. "The public defender really becomes someone who is speaking for the most marginalized people in society so it's not just about making sure every individual is treated fairly. It's about speaking for populations that we have come to easily accept casting aside."
Rapping also gave reference to the "Gideon v. Wainwright" Supreme Court case that gave the right for everyone to have legal counsel even if they are unable to pay for it.
"Fifty-two years ago, the Supreme Court decided the case of Gideon v. Wainwright and made clear that the lawyer is the vehicle necessary to ensure that justice is done," said Rapping.
Rapping spent 10 years working as a public defender in Washington DC before having stints in Georgia and Louisiana and will be a part of the panel discussion at the "Social Justice" event on Tuesday evening.
Listen to a segment of the interview below:
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