The John K. Pruellage Courtroom was overflowing with people trying to get a listen to the keynote address by Stephen Bright, president and senior counsel at Southern Center for Human Rights. Bright’s lecture, "Indigence and the Criminal Justice System," was part of the 2016 Richard J. Childress Memorial Lecture at the School of Law.
Bright spent time highlighting the many pitfalls of the criminal justice system and focused on the need for lawyers to address the injustice.
“All of these rights that we have mean absolutely nothing without a lawyer,” he said.
While discussing many of the cases and particular injustice that he had personally seen, Bright took time to address the law students in the room.
“Your job is to protect the constitutional rights of your clients. There is nothing more important than how well the system works for those at the bottom.”
Three panels were held over the course of the two-day program. They addressed the future of criminal justice reform, criminal defense and the death penalty. The program concluded with final remarks from Bright.
For more information and videos to come — visit law.slu.edu/childresslecture2016.