David Rudolf: American Injustice, The Staircase, and Defending Empathy

Helping us get set for sentencing is David Rudolf -- attorney, author, and lead counsel in the acclaimed Netflix documentary, "The Staircase", which is now a controversial HBO mini-series. Mr. Rudolf has been on the front lines of justice for decades as one of the nation's preeminent trial lawyers.  He has dedicated his life to giving voice and vindication to a special class of victims in our system -- those convicted and sentenced for crimes they did not commit.   He recently published a riveting look at our dysfunctional system, American Injustice: Inside Stories from the Underbelly of the Criminal Justice System.  In this whirlwind discussion, we cover: Rudolf's new Book, American Injustice; The Staircase documentary and the new,  highly fictionalized HBO miniseries; Draconian sentencing statutes and guidelines; How confirmation bias and tunnel vision can corrupt every aspect of the criminal justice process; The need for accountability for  prosecutors and police when the innocent are wrongfully convicted; How becoming a client made him a better lawyer; Advice for criminal defense lawyers struggling with work life balance; The coercive nature of plea bargaining; How to handle sentencing when your client maintains innocence; AND, the very best ways to inject humanity back into our broken system; Oh, yes, for all you diehard Staircase fans, we do discuss "the owl theory"! LINKS:  David Rudolf's Website: https://davidsrudolf.com/ Abuse of Power Podcast:  https://www.audible.com/pd/Abuse-of-Power-with-David-Rudolf-and-Sonya-Pfeiffer-Podcast/ Incredible 3-hour CLE offering on the Staircase: https://www.nacdl.org/Event/The-Staircase-Lessons-from-the-Michael-Peterson-Mu https://vimeo.com/332364136  (staircase CLE teaser) HBO Rebuttals: https://www-newsweek-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.newsweek.com/i-was-michael-peterson-lawyer-still-believe-hes-innocent-1708072?amp=1 https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/staircase-michael-peterson-lawyer-david-rudolf-criticizes-hbo-max-show-1235279215/?fbclid=IwAR2rJLrLZWlNLhQZtQTYKNXanxTANQU9H6MtA6kEpTibXBmbTJjzJKlO2Ew#   the owl theory: https://amp-charlotteobserver-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/tv/article261821775.html