In this episode, Director of the Midwest Innocence Project in Kansas City, Sean O’Brien, joins the show to share his experience in the Public Defender’s Office and how he has become a major advocate for justice. Sean shares the incredible story of Brian Banks and explains why many of these cases, sadly, continue to happen today.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

00:45 – Sean O’Brien joins the show and speaks to his background in law, his decision to become a public defender and how he got involved in the Capital Punishment Resource Center

09:55 – Sean gives his thoughts on the Edgar ruling in the Missouri courts and recalls the incredible story of the Brian Banks case

23:19 – Sean lists actionable steps we need to take as a society to reshape justice

28:21 – Sean talks about the concept of ‘junk science’

33:46 – Dale thanks Sean for joining the show and for continuing to do great work

TWEETABLE QUOTES

“I just happened to run into a friend of mine after I had decided to leave the business practice and he said ‘We’ve got an opening in the Public Defender’s Office. You should come check it out.’ And I went over there and interviewed and it was just like coming home. I found myself surrounded by like-minded people who cared about justice, cared about their clients, and felt like they were doing important work.” (02:10)

“Watching how the justice system treats people generally, it can really be dehumanizing. And so, giving them a voice and helping them express their humanity is the most compelling part of the work.” (09:36)

“I tend not to take on cases of people who are free because there’s somebody in prison who needs my legal help.” (16:51)

“One of my clients, Ellen Reasonover – she spent sixteen years in prison for a crime she did not do – she said, ‘I felt like I was kidnapped and held against my will for sixteen years.’” (22:22)

“In death penalty cases, over a third of the exonerations by DNA were based on convictions obtained by confessions – false confessions.” (26:49)

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Reshaping Justice Website – https://reshapingjustice.org/

Midwest Innocence Project Website – https://themip.org/

Capital Punishment Resource Center Website – https://socialjusticeresourcecenter.org/cause/capital-punishment/

Sean’s University of Missouri-Kansas City Bio – https://law.umkc.edu/profiles/faculty-directory/sean-obrien.html

John Grisham’s The Innocent Man – https://www.jgrisham.com/the-innocent-man/

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001 Sean O'Brien - Capital Punishment, Junk Science & Advocating for Justice