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Join us for a conversation about The Jailhouse Lawyer, the new book by Calvin Duncan and Sophie Cull. This powerful personal account explores legal expertise and advocacy behind bars. Drawing from his nearly three decades of incarceration in Louisiana, the book recounts Calvin's remarkable journey from a wrongful conviction to becoming a celebrated legal scholar.
While incarcerated, Calvin became an "inmate counsel" (also known as a “jailhouse lawyer”), helping hundreds of incarcerated people challenge wrongful convictions and unjust sentences. His work contributed to landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions, including Smith v. Cain (2012) and Ramos v. Louisiana (2020). He now holds a JD from Lewis & Clark Law School and serves as the Founder and Director of the Light of Justice Program at Loyola University New Orleans' Jesuit Social Research Institute.
This discussion will explore the development of legal expertise through self- and peer-guided learning within prison walls. Calvin will speak with Alliance Communications Director Corinne Kannenberg about the ins and outs of legal education behind bars, the power of peer-to-peer knowledge, and the role incarcerated legal advocates play in shaping justice from the inside.
Calvin’s story offers a powerful reminder of the creativity, intelligence, and resilience that exist (too often unrecognized) behind prison walls. His work also challenges common assumptions about who holds legal knowledge and what meaningful education looks like.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Penguin Press and Penguin Random House have printed 2,000 copies of a unique softcover edition of The Jailhouse Lawyer exclusively for incarcerated readers. Thanks to a matching campaign, they are donating these copies for individuals inside prisons and jails.
Please complete this short form to order free softcover copies of Calvin's story for your incarcerated students.
Educators can also order desk copies here.
Read more about the book, its authors Calvin and Sophie, and how to purchase a copy on the Penguin website.
Join us for a discussion around Calvin Duncan's new book, The Jailhouse Lawyer. Calvin will say more about the ins and outs of legal education behind bars, the power of peer-to-peer knowledge, and the role incarcerated legal advocates play in shaping justice from the inside.
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