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cover of episode The Kids of Rutherford County - Ep. 3

The Kids of Rutherford County - Ep. 3

2023/11/16
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Serial

AI Deep Dive AI Chapters Transcript
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K
Kyle Mothershead
M
Mark Downton
M
Meribah Knight
W
Wes Clark
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Wes Clark: 本集讲述了Wes Clark和Mark Downton两位律师如何发现并挑战田纳西州拉瑟福德县少年司法系统中存在的非法逮捕和拘留问题。他们起初专注于少年法庭案件,但由于报酬低微,转而从事民事案件。然而,一个关于Hobgood小学学生因未阻止斗殴而被捕的案件引起了他们的注意,他们意识到这是一个更大的问题的冰山一角。通过审查警方的报告,他们发现了一条关键信息:司法要求必须逮捕未成年嫌疑人。这促使他们深入调查,最终发现了法官David Davenport制定的逮捕政策和监狱的‘过滤系统’,这两个系统都违反了田纳西州法律。他们收集了大量证据,包括备忘录、内部文件和证词,证明了该县非法逮捕和拘留了大量儿童。他们最终提起集体诉讼,并赢得了初步禁令听证会,迫使该县停止使用违反法律的政策。 Mark Downton:起初对Wes Clark发现的证据并不热衷,但最终还是加入了集体诉讼。 Kyle Mothershead:一位经验丰富的律师,加入了Wes Clark的团队,为案件的成功做出了贡献。 Meribah Knight:本集节目的记者,通过采访受害者、律师和法官David Davenport,揭示了拉瑟福德县少年司法系统中存在的严重问题。 法官David Davenport:拉瑟福德县少年法庭法官,其政策导致了大量的非法逮捕和拘留。她认为自己是在维护社会秩序和保护儿童,但她的行为却违反了法律。 Lindu:拉瑟福德县监狱管理员,参与制定并执行了违反法律的‘过滤系统’。

Deep Dive

Chapters
Wes Clark and Mark Downton formed their own law firm, Dark Clark, with the goal of transitioning from juvenile court cases to more lucrative civil cases.
  • The firm had no office or business cards but aimed to move away from low-paying juvenile court cases.
  • Both attorneys had financial pressures, including law school loans and mortgages.
  • They initially pursued civil cases like personal injury and business disputes but faced early failures.

Shownotes Transcript

Wes Clark reads a telling line in a police report about how Rutherford County’s juvenile justice system really works. He and his law partner Mark Downton realize they have a massive class action on their hands. 

From Serial Productions and The New York Times in partnership with ProPublica and Nashville Public Radio, “The Kids of Rutherford County” is reported and hosted by Meribah Knight, a Peabody-award winning reporter based in the South.

To get full access to this show, and to other Serial Productions and New York Times podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, subscribe at nytimes.com/podcasts).

To find out about new shows from Serial Productions, and get a look behind the scenes, sign up for our newsletter at nytimes.com/serialnewsletter.)

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