Fresh Air The 'Jailhouse Lawyer' Who Freed Innocent People — Including Himself
46 snips
Jul 14, 2025 
Calvin Duncan, a former inmate and jailhouse lawyer, shares his incredible journey from wrongful conviction to freedom. He reveals how he fought to exonerate himself and countless others while navigating a flawed legal system. Duncan highlights the systemic barriers faced by poor and Black individuals in the justice system, and discusses how his experiences shaped his passion for legal advocacy. His memoir, The Jailhouse Lawyer, chronicles these challenges and his relentless pursuit of justice.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Becoming a Jailhouse Lawyer
- Calvin Duncan became a jailhouse lawyer in Angola prison, helping inmates without lawyers by researching and filing legal petitions for post-conviction relief.
- He studied law intensely and worked on hundreds of cases, freeing many wrongly convicted prisoners including himself.
Access Barriers to Legal Records
- Accessing trial records for appeals is nearly impossible for inmates due to legal restrictions and costs.
- Inmates earn a few cents per hour, making it extremely difficult to pay for necessary case documents.
Non-Unanimous Jury Law Origins
- Louisiana allowed convictions by non-unanimous juries, a law rooted in white supremacy to suppress Black voices on juries.
- The Supreme Court overturned this in Ramos v. Louisiana (2020), declaring non-unanimous jury verdicts unconstitutional.