The Jailhouse Lawyer
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A searing and ultimately hopeful account of Calvin Duncan, "the most extraordinary jailhouse lawyer of our time" (Sister Helen Prejean), and his thirty-year path through Angola after a wrongful murder conviction, his coming-of-age as a legal mind while imprisoned, and his continued advocacy for those on the inside
Calvin Duncan was nineteen when he was incarcerated for a 1981 New Orleans murder he didn't commit. The victim of a wildly incompetent public defense system and a badly compromised witness, Duncan was left to rot in the waking nightmare of confinement. Armed with little education, he took matters into his own hands.
At twenty-one, he filed his first motion from prison: "Motion for a Law Book," which launched his highly successful, self-taught legal career. Trapped within this wholly corrupted system, Duncan became a legal advocate for himself and his fellow prisoners as an inmate counsel at the infamous Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola. Literature sustained his hope, as he learned the law in its shadow.
During his decades of incarceration, Duncan helped hundreds of other prisoners navigate their cases, advocating for those the state had long since written off. He taught a class in the midst of Angola to empower other incarcerated men to fight for their own justice under the law. But his own case remained stalled. A defense lawyer once responded to Duncan's request for documents: "You are not a person."
Criminal justice reform advocate Sophie Cull met Duncan after he was finally released from prison; he began to tell her his story. Together, they've written a bracing condemnation of the criminal legal system, and an intimate portrait of a heroic and brilliant man's resilience in the face of injustice.
About this Author
Calvin Duncan is the founder and director of the Light of Justice program, which is focused on improving legal access for incarcerated individuals. Falsely accused of murder at the age of nineteen, he endured a life sentence without the possibility of parole in Louisiana prisons for more than twenty-eight years. While incarcerated, he became an inmate counsel substitute, or jailhouse lawyer, helping hundreds of fellow prisoners challenge wrongful convictions and unjust sentences. His efforts have contributed to landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions, including Smith v. Cain (2012) and Ramos v. Louisiana (2020). Duncan holds a JD from Lewis & Clark Law School and resides in New Orleans, where he continues his advocacy on behalf of those still behind bars.
Sophie Cull is a criminal justice reform advocate who has published on the death penalty, life sentences, and prosecutorial misconduct. As a cofounder of The Visiting Room Project, she helped create the world's largest collection of filmed interviews with people serving life without parole. Originally from Australia, she began her career in New Orleans, assisting legal organizations defending individuals on Louisiana's death row.
Reviews
"If I created a fictional character like Calvin Duncan, no one would believe him and the story wouldn't work. Fiction can be many things, but it has to be believable. Duncan's story is so incredible it strains belief. It is so heartwarming and hopeful that it will stay with you for a long time." --John Grisham
"The legal system tried to destroy Calvin Duncan. But rather than submit, he used the law to fight back, both for himself and for hundreds of other incarcerated men. This brilliantly told story--at once maddening and miraculous--is among the most powerful indictments of our criminal justice system I've ever read." --James Forman, Jr.
"Calvin Duncan is surely the most extraordinary jailhouse lawyer of our time. The Jailhouse Lawyer offers an intimate portrayal of Duncan's decades-long journey for justice, fighting for thousands of indigent prisoners against a merciless legal system. This remarkable debut is both a powerful account of Duncan's struggle and a clarion call to end the brutal legacy of mass incarceration. Duncan's relentless determination to champion those forgotten by justice will ignite a fire within you that will burn long after you've finished the book." --Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking
"A superbly written, compelling memoir chronicling Calvin Duncan's remarkable life--an innocent man incarcerated at the infamous Angola State Prison who became a self-taught, brilliant jailhouse lawyer. Although the word 'hero' is greatly overused in today's society, in my mind, Calvin Duncan is a hero in the truest sense of that word. I urge all who are in need of inspiration to please read this riveting account of an indomitable spirit in the face of ongoing stiff resistance." --Jim McCloskey, coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestseller Framed
"Calvin Duncan's life story is a testament to a degree of courage, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to justice that few possess. In The Jailhouse Lawyer, he takes us inside the callous legal system that led to his wrongful conviction, and inside the prison where he forged an unbreakable resolve to seek justice not just for himself but for others forgotten by the courts. Through sheer determination, Duncan became a lifeline for countless incarcerated individuals, and deployed the law as his superpower on their behalf. This book is not only an inspiring story of one man's battle against overwhelming odds; it exemplifies what it means to stand against oppressive forces on behalf of the least powerful among us. Calvin Duncan's voice is one we cannot afford to ignore." --Clive Stafford Smith, author of Injustice
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