BUREAU OF INJUSTICE REPORTS THAT ONE OUT OF THREE BLACK MALE BABIES WILL LIKELY GO TO PRISON. IT’S SOMETHING THAT WIDELY ACCLAIMED ATTORNEY BRIAN STEVENSON FOUNDERF OHE T EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE IN MONTGOMERY SAYS THAT WE NEED A PANDEMIC LIKE RESPONSE TO IN PART TO A BREA DOUGLAS INTERVIEW WITH HIM. YOU’LL HEAR HOW STEVENSON SPENT HIS 30 PLUS YEAR CAREER BIAS IN THE CRIMINAL JUST SYSTEM I DON’T THINK ANYDYBO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT WHEN I WAS A LITTLE BOY RUNNING AROUND THOUGH, HE COULD ABE LAWYER ONE DAY, BUT THAT LITTLE BOY OVERCAME HIS POOR UPBRINGING AND A RACIALLY SEGREGATED DELAWARE GOING ON TO RECEIVE A LAW DEGREE FROM HARVARD UNIVERSITY WHEN I CAME OUT OF LAW SCHOOL IN THE 1980S. ITAS W CLEAR TO ME THAT THIS GROWING POPULATION OF PEOPLE BEING SENT TO JAILS IN PRISONS WAS BECOMING A PRIORITY AND NEW TOO MANY PEOPLEHO W HAD BEEN WRONGLY CONVICTED UNFAIRLY. ACCUS. UNFAIRLY SENTENCED FOUR YEARS AFTER GRADUATING FROM HARVARD LAW SCHOOL, BRIAN STEVENSON STARTEDHE T EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE IN MONTGOMERY AS A YOUNG ATTORNEY ACCORDING TO THE ORGANIZATION. IT’S HELPED MORE THAN 130 DEATH ROW INMATES WHEN RELIEF REVERSALS OR RELEASES FROM PRISON. WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO START? EJI IN MONTGOMERY. YOU’RE NOT ORIGINALLY FROM MONTGOMERY. SO WHY HERE YEAH. WELL, I MN,EA I THINK THIS IS A CITY WITH A REALLY RICH HISTORY MONTGORYME WAS ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE SLAVE TRADING SPACES IN AMERICA FROM FROM 18. 48 UILNT86 15 THOUSANDS OF ENSLAVED PEOPLE WERE BROUGHT HERE BY RAIL BY BOAT THE STRTEE WHERE THIS OFFICE IS WAS ONE OF THE MAIN PORTALSOR F TRAFFICKING PEOP.LE THIS OFFICE WAS ACTUALLY IS ON THE SITE OF A FORMER WAREHOUSE WHERE ELANSD PVEEOPLE WERE HELD AND IF WE’RE GOING TO ADVOCATE FOR JUST IN FAIR TREATMENT. OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN PROSECUTED THEN THERE’S NO BETTER PCELA IN THE WORLD TO SITUATE THAT ADVOCACY THEN MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA MORE THAN A CENTURY AFTER SLAVERY ENDED. WE SEE A DIFFERENT FOROFM INJUSTICE ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL REGISTRYOR F EXONERATIONS MORE THAN 2,500 PEOPLE WERE EXONERATED SCEIN 1989. STEVENSON SAYS FOR EVERY NINE PEOPLE EXECUTED ONE PERSONAS H PROVEN INNOCENT AND RELEASED IF SOMEONE SAID, YOU KNOW ONE OUT OF NINE FLIGHTS THAT TAKESFF O IS GOINGO TCRASH AND EVERYBODY. TO DIE WE WOULDN’T FLY. TBU WE ARE TOLERATING THIS HIGH ERROR RATE IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE DEATH PENTYAL WHEN YOU’RE MAKING THE KIND OF MISTAKES THAT WE SEE BEING MADE YEAR AFTER YEAR ACROSS THIS COUNTRY. IT BECOMES UNACCEPTAEBL TO CO INUENT EXECUTING PEOPLE AT THE EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE STAFF RECEIVE HUNDREDS OF LETTERS A MONTH PRIMARILY FROM POOR PEOPLE CLAIMING THEY’VE BEEN WRONGLLFUY CONVICTED CASES INVOLVING THE DEATH PENALTY IN ALABAMA AND CHILENDR FACING LIFE SENTENCES. GET TOP PRIORITY. WE GET THESE CALLS AND LETTERS. IT’S VERY VERY DIFFICULT TO MAKE DECISISON BECAUSE WE CAN’T REPRESENT EVERYBODY. WE WISH WE COULD STEVENSON WON A CA SE REPRESENTING A 13 YEAR OLD SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON WITHOUPAT LERO IN FLORIDA THE VERY DEFINITION OF CHILDHOOD, IS ATTH YOU CHANGE YOU CHANGE PHYSICALLY YOU CHANGE PSYCHOLOGICALL YOUY CHANGE EMOTIONALLY SO TO IMPOSE A SENTENCE THA DTOESN'’ EVEN IMAGINE CHANGE IS CRUEL STEVENSON BELIEVES IN PROTECTING. DRINKND A PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO VOTE AS CONGRESS CURRENTLY DEBATES PSIASNG VOTGIN RIGHTS LAWS. HE SAYS IT’S A CRUCIAL STEP IN IMPROVING OUR JTIUSCE SYSTEM PROSECUTORS ARE ELECTED JUDGES ARE ELECTED. MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THE NAME. THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY IN THEIR COMMUNITY WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW THE NAME OF SOMEONE YO’'RE NOT GOING TO BE EVALUATING WHAT THEY DO AND HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE IF THEY DOHI TNGS THAT THEY SHOULDN’T BE DOING. THERES I A REAL URGENCY ABOUT ELIMINATING ANY OF THE BARRIERS THAT CURRENTLY EXIST AROUND VOTINGND A I JUST THINK IN OUR STATE WITH OUR LONG HISTORY OF DENYING PEOEPL THE KIND OF ACCESS THAT THEY DESERVE WE SHOULD BE DOING EVERYINGTH WE CAN TO MAKE IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE FOR EVERY PERSON IN THIS STATE TO VOTE WHEN PEOPLE REFLECT ON YOUR LIFE. WHAT DO YOU WANT THEM TO REMEMBEROU Y FOR? I JUST WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THOSE WHO ARE VULNERABLE TO THOSE WHO ARE DISFAVORED. I BELIEVE REALLY STRONGLY AND COMPASSION AND KINDNESS AND JUSTICE. AND I JUST THINK IF YOU GET CLOSE TO THE POOR TO THE EXCLUDED TO THOSE WHO SUFFER. AND YOU MULTIPLY TTHA PROXIMITY WITH HOPE YOU CAN ACHIEVE THINGS THAT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF PEOPLE. AND YOU KNOW IF I CONTRIBUTE TO TO BASIC HUMAN RHTIGS AND SOME SMALL WAY. I’LL BE HONORED BY THAT LEGACY. LOOK OUT NEXT WEEK FOR MORE FROM BRIAN STEVENSON IN THE LEGYAC MUSEUM AND THE NATIONAL MEMORIAL FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE. HE OPEDNE IN 2018 IN MONTGOMERY SITES THAT REFLECT OUR HISTORY AND THE WORK