Calvin Duncan and Sophie Cull

Calvin Duncan is the founder and director of the Light of Justice program, which focuses on improving legal access for incarcerated individuals. Falsely accused of murder at the age of nineteen, he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole and spent more than twenty-eight years in Louisiana prisons. While incarcerated, he became an inmate counsel substitute—a jailhouse lawyer—helping hundreds of fellow prisoners challenge wrongful convictions and unjust sentences. His efforts contributed to landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions, including Smith v. Cain (2012) and Ramos v. Louisiana (2020). Duncan earned his JD from Lewis & Clark Law School and lives in New Orleans, where he continues to advocate on behalf of those still behind bars.

Sophie Cull is a criminal justice reform advocate who has written extensively on the death penalty, life sentences, and prosecutorial misconduct. As a cofounder of The Visiting Room Project, she helped create the world’s largest collection of filmed interviews with people serving life without parole. Originally from Australia, she began her career in New Orleans, supporting legal organizations that defend individuals on Louisiana’s death row.