Actor and producer Michael K. Williams (Omar Little from The Wire, Chalky White from Boardwalk Empire) brings his HBO VICE documentary, “Raised in the System” to the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Williams will screen his one-hour documentary on the people impacted by the juvenile justice system, and then participate in a panel discussion and question-and-answer period about the film and the juvenile justice system. The event also features Williams’ nephew Dominic Dupont, one of the incarcerated persons featured in the documentary.
“Raised in the System” takes viewers inside detention facilities, where Williams speaks directly with juveniles about their pathways into the system. Williams also talks with incarcerated adults about how their experiences as juveniles contributed to their adult incarceration. Finally, Williams takes viewers into an elementary school classroom to hear from young children about the impacts on their lives of parents and family members who are incarcerated. The film also explores alternative models of juvenile justice—in places like Toledo, Ohio, and Richmond, California—that offer more hope for rehabilitation instead of incarceration.
Panelists:
- Michael K. Williams
- Dominic Dupont
- Dupont was recently released from prison after serving 20 years of a 25-to-life sentence, which was commuted by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in recognition of Dupont’s leadership in anti-violence programs for youth. For the past nine years, Dupont served as the director of the Youth Assistance Program, a volunteer group that works with at-risk youth. Dupont’s murder conviction, discussed in the film, stemmed from a fight among two groups of young men, in which Dupont, then age 19, killed someone while defending his twin brother.
- Derrick Hamilton
- Derrick Hamilton was exonerated in 2015 after serving over twenty years in prison for a murder he did not commit. A profile in The New Yorker notes that during his time in prison, he was "one of the most skilled jailhouse lawyers in the country." During his time in prison as well as in the years since his release, he has helped secure the release of many wrongfully convicted individuals. His own case, People v. Hamilton, was the first New York state appellate decision to establish that convicted defendants with a plausible claim of innocence are entitled to a hearing on the merits, notwithstanding procedural bars.
- Jeffrey Maddrey, Brooklyn Police Assistant Chief
- Assistant Chief Jeffrey Maddrey is the Commanding Officer of the Patrol Borough Brooklyn North, in Brooklyn, New York. He is overseeing efforts to implement local community policing in North Brooklyn, a program which includes assigning dedicated officers to small segments of the community to develop closer relationships and communication with community residents.
- Victor Seltzer
- Victor Seltzer is the CEO of Making Kids Win, a non-profit organization founded by Mr. Williams that aims to develop neighborhood community centers to provide a judgment-free and safe zone where neighborhood children can engage with their peers through academics, sports, and the arts during the "gray part" of the day--after school ends and before a parent gets home.
The discussion will be moderated by Professor Jonathan Witmer-Rich.
1 hour free CLE
Register
This event is free and open to the public. Registrations are required in order to attend. Register Here. Charitable donations will be accepted, with funds to be used for scholarships for law students pursuing juvenile justice or social justice work. Questions? Email: cmlaaclenull@gmail.nullcom
Co-sponsored by the Cleveland-Marshall Law Alumni Association, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Criminal Justice Center and ACLU of Ohio.
THE HONORABLE JOHN J. RUSSO is the Administrative and Presiding Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Ohio in Cuyahoga County, which serves the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area. It is home to 1.2 million people (2010 census). Judge Russo has been unanimously elected by his colleagues to lead the Court every year since November 2013.
TERESA METCALF BEASLEY’S practice focuses on public finance, real estate development and financing, and economic development incentives. Teresa has represented private entities and local and county government relations, including municipalities, school boards, port authorities, healthcare entities and library systems on various legal and legislative matters.
LANDMARK CASES FROM NORTHEAST OHIO THAT HELPED SHAPE CONSTITUTIONAL LAW