Jeff Rosen on the justice system, the case of Ronald L. Sanford and the death penalty

Purpose is the pitch Episode N° 19 with Jeff Rosen and Konstantin Schimert.

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen is a nationally-recognized leader in criminal justice reform. Before joining the District Attorney’s Office, Mr. Rosen worked for prominent law firms in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., where he practiced commercial litigation. Since 2011, Mr. Rosen has overseen the largest prosecutor’s office north of Los Angeles.

The District Attorney’s Office has 640 employees, including 196 deputy district attorneys. From gang homicides to human trafficking to organized cyber and hi-tech crime, the DA’s Office prosecutes tens of thousands of cases in court each year and diverts thousands of others each year to efficiently achieve accountability and justice outside of court.

Under Mr. Rosen’s leadership, the Office is more diverse than ever before with women comprising 50% of the prosecutors and African-American, Latino, Asian-American, LGBTQ individuals representing more than 40% of the prosecutors.

As District Attorney, Mr. Rosen created an innovative, first of its kind, and nationally acclaimed Conviction Integrity Unit to investigate innocence claims and implement the most professional and ethical practices in criminal prosecution.

In this episode, we discussed the following topics, among others:

00:00 Intro
01:01 Statement about the war in ukraine
05:33 What is the difference between the american and german prison system?
15:46 What needs to be changed in the prison system?
28:57 Why law enforcement in America can’t afford to admit mistakes
35:02 Where does Jeff Rosen get his courage?
41:07 Why Jeff’s employees are diverse and why that matters
48:17 You shouldn’t imprison people because you are angry at them but because you are afraid of them
1:02:20 Why rehabilitation is so important for prisoners
1:10:31 How animals can change a prisoners whole life
1:16:22 What does Jeff Rosen think about the Ronald L. Sanford case?
1:28:59 Why Jeff Rosen no longer seeks the death penalty
1:32:10 Why the world will be safer if we all treat each other with respect
1:35:48 If you had one wish, what would you wish for?