Doubt (2017) s01e08 Episode Script
Top Dog - Underdog
1 Previously on Doubt I'm back and I'm engaged.
- What? I passed the bar! - What? He's here?! What are you doing here? - I kissed Peter Garrett.
- The D.
A.
? CAMERON: It was unintentional, but I think I want to kiss him intentionally.
Every two years, I go before the same parole board and tell them how sorry I am.
Obviously, you are not doing it right.
CAROLYN: I think I'm going to need new counsel.
Put that down.
What? I'm just trying to pick up a little.
- Don't.
- Sadie, if your mom gets paroled, she's gonna come here.
It's like a towel graveyard.
I'm trying to help.
Well, you're jinxing it.
Every two years, I clean this place top to bottom and she never gets out.
This year, she's getting out.
So put the towel down.
You first.
Hmm.
- What's wrong? - Nothing.
See, I'm doing that thing that I do, and you're not doing the thing you do back.
- I'll do the thing.
- Okay.
Have you not written your statement, yet? - Yes, I have.
- Sadie.
I stare at the legal pad, and my mind goes blank.
How do I convince the board to let her out? You're not her lawyer.
You're her daughter.
It's not about arguing or convincing.
You just have to talk about your mom.
Hmm.
- ALBERT: How's your statement? - SADIE: Great.
That's not what Cam says.
She says you haven't done it.
She pulled me away from Sammie Kim just to come yell at you.
"I love Sammie Kim.
Tell him, âHiâ" I will not tell him, âHi,â 'cause Sammie has a thing for you, and he's gonna try to woo you with his knock-off purses.
I love it when Sammie Kim tries to woo me.
I'm not gonna traffic knock-off merch.
Not even a little Fendi shoulder bag Black, classic, goes with everything? Not even.
Write your statement.
I know it's not easy, but just lock the door and do it.
Nick! You know, we have an elaborate intercom system that makes yelling obsolete.
We're due at court in 90 minutes.
Nick's first official day sitting second chair.
Nick! - Seriously, Sadie, the statement.
- Got it.
Fine.
- How did it go? - It went fine.
Did you tell her it has to be great? That her mother's release depends on her statement being great? I did not tell her that.
You know why? 'Cause it's not true.
Whether or not Carolyn makes parole depends on a lot of things, some in your control, some not.
And I hope you're not putting that kind of pressure - on Sadie or yourself.
- I'm not.
Good.
Have you seen Nick? No, but I hear you have Sammie Kim, and I could use a Kate Spade cross-body satchel in Merlot or cerulean.
- Have you seen Nick? - No, Lucy said he went to court.
- 90 minutes early? - First-day jitters.
He better not be jittery.
Sammie's jittery enough.
Oh, that's right.
You have Sammie Kim as a client.
- Can you ask him if he can get me - No.
How's the fiancé? Is he mad that I woke you up in the middle of the night? Mad? I was done doing the research you asked me to do at 5:00 a.
m.
Then he wanted to watch the sunrise from the Staten Island Ferry.
- You're kidding.
- I'm a little touristed out.
Well, I can say this, you're glowing.
It hasn't all been touristy.
Okay.
Here's the current contact info for the trooper's kids.
Cam, how we doing? Feeling good.
Sadie's working on her statement, and I'm going to reapproach the trooper's family, see if they're in a forgiving mood.
Speaking from experience, prepare to have a door slammed in your face.
It's an uphill battle.
Well, as a great man once said, âUphill battles are the ones worth winning.
â Bingo.
Go get them.
Okay.
Hey, you.
Hey.
What's up? What are you doing here? I have a little something for you.
It's just a little âfirst official day in courtâ thing.
- You didn't have to do that.
- I know.
That's what makes it nice.
To Kill a Mockingbird.
First edition.
Wow.
Atticus Finch is the reason why I became a lawyer.
So, um, what are you doing here this early? Just soaking it in.
It's a big day.
You're gonna be fine.
- How's Brandon? - Great.
- How's he like New York? - Oh, he loves it.
He loves the crowds and the-the size of my apartment.
It's an adjustment.
- Yeah, he thinks the subway smells.
- He's not wrong.
It smells like hope and opportunity.
Also urine.
Ah.
He has an interview tomorrow at a landscape architect firm, and I think once he gets the job, he'll start to feel more at home and it'll be good.
Speaking of good, you are going to be so good today.
You are going to nail this whole lawyer thing.
You know what? I realized I've never objected in real court.
- How do you do it? - You just say it.
Objection.
Seriously? - (louder): Objection.
- That was pathetic.
(Clears throat) What the hell?! You say it like that, but it's just one word.
(chuckles) PETER: Ms.
Wirth.
Thank you for meeting me.
You asked, I came.
What's up? Last night, after dinner, I tried to go downtown.
That's not a metaphor.
I-I literally tried to go home with you, and you live downtown.
I know what you meant.
And you said you had to work on your statement.
Now, since then, I've been wondering, maybe six dates was enough for her to realize that she's not interested in my coin collection.
That is a metaphor, by the way.
No, I told you what I'm dealing with.
It's big.
I'm just distracted.
Cam, I get it.
The parole hearing, it's important.
I just wanted you to know that with everything on your mind right now, I want to be the guy you tell.
Peter, that's sweet, but I'm really good.
Okay.
I'll call you when I'm done.
Are we ever gonna have sex? Excuse me? See, normally, six dates in, I can get a feeling, you know, a sense.
And the sense I'm getting here is that maybe it's not happening.
I'm in the middle of a case.
Cam, if you're not into it, you can tell me, but you got to tell me because I am really into it.
I'm into it, too.
- SAMMIE: No joke, Albert.
- (elevator bell dings) I can get you a bag.
I'm talking 100% legit Louize Vuitton.
- Did he say âLouizeâ? - Do not engage.
Sammie, look, we're all excited.
It's Nick's first time in court since passing the bar.
For real? Up top! The point being, we got to focus.
And as I was saying, it's gonna come down to our I.
D.
expert versus their eyewitness.
We just need to convince the jury that the victim fingered the wrong guy.
The victim? The victim? - Y'all are looking at the victim.
- Here we go.
This guy, this so-called victim, gets a gun stuck up in his face, gives over his triple-fat goose-down coat, fine.
But then he I.
D.
s me? You want to arrest me, arrest me for the Rolexes, for the handbags Maybe keep our voices down.
But a coat? I'm holding someone up for a coat? Sammie got a warehouse full of all the coats he'll ever need.
Hey, Albert Cobb.
ALBERT: P.
J.
Arrington.
How the hell you doing? - Good.
- Sammie, we'll see you inside.
P.
J.
, Nick Brady.
Nick just passed the bar.
He's making his big league debut today.
ARRINGTON: That's great.
Welcome to the majors.
I'll, uh, see you guys in there.
- Nick, what's up with the attitude? - Forget it.
- Let's just get this over with.
- No, hold on.
P.
J.
's one of the good guys.
That guy? That âgoodâ guy? That's the D.
A.
who put me away.
He doesn't even remember me.
I was headed home down on East Broadway when this dude steps out of the shadows and sticks a gun in my face.
The man say anything? âLose the goose.
â He wanted my coat.
- Yeah, like that one.
- ARRINGTON: Any idea why? People buy them.
On the street, you could snag three, 400 cash in, like, a minute.
After he robbed you, what happened? I called the cops, yo.
That coat cost me 1,200 bucks.
(quietly): 1,200 bucks? - I could've got him six coats for that.
- Shh.
ARRINGTON: What happened after the cops came? Asked a bunch of questions, drove me to the precinct, and then sent in some artist.
A sketch artist who drew a composite sketch of the man who robbed you.
Yeah.
Then, like, two weeks later, they had me come in, - look at some dudes.
- In a lineup? Yeah.
I knew him in a hot second.
That's him right there.
I'm positive.
ARRINGTON: That'll be all.
Thank you.
Mr.
Bogarts.
Mookie.
I'm Nick Brady.
I was six months old when my dad was killed, so any memory of him, for me, comes from home movies.
My mom was in court every day of the trial.
She spoke at every parole hearing.
Keeping Carolyn Rice in prison became a personal crusade for her right up till the day she died.
I noticed you haven't gone to the last couple parole hearings.
You know, it's hard.
I guess I'm just trying to move on.
So is Carolyn.
My brothers and sister would never remain neutral on her release.
Even if I begged them, it wouldn't move the needle.
I get it.
It's a lot to ask.
So you know what she's done with her life.
- Because you were concentrating.
- Yeah.
- Because you wanted to get the guy.
- Yeah.
And you knew that your ability to describe him, to get every detail right, would be crucial.
- Yes.
- So, you focused, - memorized all the important details.
- Right.
'Cause if only some details are right, - it might not be the right guy.
- Sure.
Objection.
Where is this going? Let's find out.
Overruled.
- So you said he had dark hair.
- Yeah.
And you were right, which is crucial, because if he didn't have dark hair, - it wouldn't be the right guy.
- For sure.
Because every detail is crucial.
- Yeah.
- You got the lack of facial hair right, the skin tone, you even got the eyes.
- You memorized every crucial detail.
- Yeah.
Because Every detail is crucial.
- Because otherwise - It might not be the right guy.
In your initial statement to the police, you described the assailant as âbig.
â I was still in shock.
But the word you used was âbigâ - Yeah.
- In fact, you were more specific, weren't you? You said, âAbout six feet, 200 pounds.
â Yes.
I'd ask the prosecution to stipulate that Mr.
Kim tops out at 5'7â wearing shoes, and weighs 145 soaking wet.
So stipulated.
And that's crucial, every detail, because like you said, otherwise, it might not be the right guy.
Cam, you're hovering.
How's she doing? She's been in the same position all day.
She moved? Just the person I wanted to see.
Tiffany.
Walk with me.
I'm giving you the keys to the kingdom.
Oh, o-okay.
What-What exactly does that mean? Between the parole hearing and Albert and Nick's I.
D.
case, most of us are gonna be scattered to the winds, so you're in charge.
Okay, so, potential client intakes, press inquiries And we need to file that class action in the morning.
âMorning,â meaning like tomorrow morning? - Is that a problem? - No, not at all.
I just had, like, this dinner thing, but Well, here's an easy fix: How about you don't have, like, a dinner thing? CAROLYN: Hey, Sadie.
You settle down now.
Close your eyes.
They're not closed.
That's my girl.
The night we met I knew I needed you so And if I had the chance I'd never let you go So won't you say you love me? I'll make you so proud of me Hell of a job in there, counselor.
Not bad for a jailhouse lawyer.
Wow, really? Yeah.
I got my degree in prison.
Good for you.
TIFFANY: Okay, so, Tino, you were at the quinceañera for the daughter of a friend? My boss.
For his daughter, Coco.
Cops come in.
They frisk me and find a vial of coke.
A vial of cocaine was found in the right front pocket of the pants you were wearing.
Did you say anything to the officer? Yep.
I said, âThese are not my pants.
â âTh-These are not my pants.
â Seriously? Yeah.
My wife got them for me at a secondhand place.
The coke was just, you know, in there.
Okay.
Um, so I have to admit some level of skepticism on the viability of a ânot my pantsâ defense, but I will talk to the D.
A.
and see if we can make it go away.
SADIE: My name is Sadie Ellis.
Carolyn Rice is my mother.
She made me tapes.
Cassettes we called âPlay Me Whenâ tapes.
âPlay Me When You're Sad,â âPlay Me When You're Proud,â âWhen You're Scared,â âWhen You're Confused.
â Carolyn Rice wasn't a perfect mother, but she was, undeniably, a committed one.
Her presence was relentless.
If I couldn't get her on the phone, there were letters.
Every day but Sunday.
And every single night, there was her voice, on a dusty old tape recorder, singing me to sleep.
I have no memory of the moment my mother handed me over to the man who would become like a father to me.
I imagine she did so fully aware that we wouldn't be together on the outside for a long, long time.
I imagine the two-year-old version of myself must've waited for her to come back.
I don't know when I stopped waiting.
I was too young.
But now, I'm old enough to know that maybe I never stopped waiting.
I'm still waiting for my mom.
Too sentimental? I think we just might have a shot.
Hell, with that speech, I'll break her out myself.
(chuckles) (sniffles) (door buzzes, opens) You look great, Mom.
(laughs) You're a liar.
ISAIAH: Carolyn, you're a vision in green.
Sweet talker.
Let me just look at you two.
(chuckles) I just want to grab you.
(exhales) Ladies and gentlemen, let's settle in.
I'd like to start this hearing in a hard five.
Asher Lowman? I'm Tiffany Simon.
I'm with Isaiah Roth & Associates.
I'm representing a Mr.
Tino Ramos? - Are you asking? - What? Y-Your voice went up, like you were asking.
Thanks.
You're welcome.
Okay.
Let's try this again.
I'm Tiffany Simon.
I'm representing Tino Ramos.
Okay.
I'd like an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal? Again, your voice went up.
Would you like to have a sip of your coffee? Maybe you'll be in a better mood if you're caffeinated.
(chuckles) We don't ACD drug cases.
Your client had a vial of crack in his pants.
They weren't his pants.
Are you kidding me? His wife bought them for him at a secondhand store.
See, I thought of that, and I checked, and those places all wash their pants before they sell them.
TIFFANY: Then I said, âI have a friend who's managed âa bunch of secondhand stores, and I happen to know that is not true.
â - Except you don't.
- Except I don't! Oh, my God! Tiff, you lied? - Only kind of.
- Wow, you're like a real lawyer.
He bought it, offered me a deal.
Oh! Hey, Tino! Thank you so much for coming in.
I have some good news.
You got a dismissal? No, but I got it knocked down to a small fine and a violation, which isn't even a crime.
It's like a traffic ticket.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, I need a dismissal.
I tried, but, Tino, we're talking about no jail time here.
I can't take a deal.
I'm undocumented.
Wait, what? Any drug-related conviction, I get deported back to Guatemala.
Why didn't you tell me this? I was two months old when my parents came.
I don't go around blabbing about it to people.
I'm not âpeople,â I'm your lawyer.
What am I gonna do? I got a wife and a kid.
We got to go to trial.
And not just go, we got to win.
ROSSITER: I'm Harold ROSSITER, the original prosecutor on this case.
JOE JR.
: My name is Joseph Thomas, Junior.
This is my fourth time speaking at one of these hearings.
The first time Carolyn Rice was eligible for parole, I talked about what it was like to grow up without a father.
The senseless murder of Trooper Thomas haunts me to this day.
JOE JR.
: The second time, I told the story of the white-gloved officer who came up to me at the funeral, bending down to present an eight-year-old boy with a folded flag and his father's hat.
After a reported bank robbery, he stopped a white panel van just as it turned onto the New York Thruway.
The third time, I talked about Josie, the granddaughter he never even came close to seeing.
ROSSITER: Seeing Carolyn Rice in the driver's seat, the white girl in the getaway van.
And now, this time, the fourth time, I speak not just as a son on behalf of my father, but as a guard standing a post for Dad's brothers in blue.
ROSSITER: He walked around to the back of the van JOE JR.
: These people put themselves in harm's way, every single day, to keep us safe.
I stand for them.
I stand with them.
And I say no more.
and was brutally gunned down.
Not now, not ever.
It's the same message I send to Carolyn Rice today.
No parole.
Not now, not ever.
The research is incontrovertible.
Cross-racial effect is real.
Cross-racial effect? Simply put, members of a particular race are better at distinguishing between members of their own race.
We are less accurate with faces of other racial groups.
My co-counsel and I are both black.
Yes, and you look nothing alike, but the science suggests that if you did resemble one another, LeBron James would have an easier time telling you apart than, say, Tom Brady would.
Does the science show a correlation between certainty and accuracy? No.
People who say âI'm sure that's the guyâ are no more accurate than those who just think it's the guy.
So you can be sure and still be wrong? Absolutely.
Just ask my wife.
But there's a difference, right? Between being able to describe something and being able to recognize it? - Sure.
- So, juror number one may not be able to say exactly how tall I am or how much I weigh or even how old I am, but when I walk in here tomorrow, the odds are she's gonna recognize me, right? Sure.
Thank you, Dr.
Kirsch.
Dr.
Kirsch, is there a difference between juror number one recognizing Mr.
Arrington and the I.
D.
issues involved in this case? Absolutely.
The jury has spent a long time looking at Mr.
Arrington, in a low-pressure environment, whereas most crimes typically happen quickly, in a high-pressure situation, and are often perpetrated by strangers.
Thank you.
COMMISSIONER JIMENEZ: Mr.
ROSSITER, is there anyone else who'd like to be heard before we adjourn for today? Yes, Madam Commissioner, I believe there is.
CAROLYN: Jacob Ward is here? Well, for one thing, unlike Carolyn, I cooperated with the authorities.
I named names, gave up our safe house, I-I renounced the Movement.
I pled guilty and expressed remorse.
And you were recently granted parole? Yes.
And I I got to say, being back in prison, even with a visitor badge, it's, um But I had to come.
Because? By the early '80s, I started having second thoughts about the Movement.
You know, I went home for Christmas, looking to leave the RLF for good.
Then the doorbell rings.
I get up to answer it.
It's Carolyn.
At my family's doorstep, at Christmas dinner.
I told you I wanted out.
But you couldn't let me be.
I mean, you-you come into my house, and you charm my family, and you manipulate me.
I was just a dumb kid! I just wanted to do good and you twisted that.
Six weeks later, I'm in the back of a beat-up van with a gun in my hand, about to cost a good man his life.
Carolyn Rice will come up here and she'll tell you a bunch of lies about how she's reformed.
But she is never gonna change.
She is wired this way.
She is persuasive, and she is dangerous, and she won't take no for an answer.
(knock on door) Peter.
What are you doing here? Well, I know there's not a ton of restaurants near the prison, so I figured the least I could do is bring you dinner.
And ginger ale.
Also diet ginger ale.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
- Where are you going? - Home.
You drove an hour and a half to bring me food, and now you're driving back? - Yeah.
- Why? Because that's what you do for someone you've been on six dates with, who's doing a parole hearing.
Wait.
I've never been on six dates with someone who's nice and funny and smart and I don't know how to be.
I don't know how to be either.
I might freak out.
I might sleep with you and then hate you.
And then I'll have to see you in court, and it'll be really awkward.
You might.
Or you might freak out.
I might.
Peter, I-I'm scared.
Me, too.
Carolyn has cancer, and I can't tell Sadie.
Oh, God, Cam.
I'm so sorry.
I feel like I'm lying every time I look at Sadie and Isaiah.
Why are you telling me? I don't know.
I know I probably shouldn't, but I didn't want to know it alone.
Plus, you have a nice face and I just want to try to trust you.
You wanted to know when we were gonna have sex? I think right now.
BRANDON: Hey, Tiff, check it out.
(sighs) I can touch both walls.
It's like a coffin.
Uh, it's cozy.
(Laughs) Ah, you're right.
It's awesome.
Because basically the only place I can be is right here.
Mmm.
Yeah, but I-I can't right now.
I'm just, I'm really worried about this whole Tino thing.
(sighs) What started off as a super simple case now has astronomical stakes.
If he gets found guilty, he has to go back to a country he doesn't know, a language he doesn't speak, leaving his wife and child.
If a jury knew that, there's no way that they would convict.
So tell 'em.
I can't.
It's not allowed.
Okay, so he gets convicted.
He had the drugs in his pocket.
It's not like he's innocent.
Oh, my God, do you, do you hear what you're saying? - What? - This is a man that came to me for help.
He's a criminal who got caught by the cops.
Look, I'm all for everyone getting their day in court, but I wouldn't lose sleep over this guy.
Wow.
Okay, you just you just, you just don't get it.
I don't not get it.
I just have a different opinion.
You know what? Let's just, um let's just drop this.
Yeah.
Fine.
I don't even know what you're talking about anymore.
(sighs) There's nowhere to go in this freakin' coffin.
And who needs eight locks? (groans) CAMERON: Respectfully, sending a message about the lives of police officers, while important, is not why we're here.
Because the intent of parole Indeed, the statutory mandate of parole is not about sending a message.
It's about the three R's: Remorse, rehabilitation and risk.
Carolyn Rice's remorse is real.
She'll show you that today.
You'll get a sense of not only rehabilitation, but of transformation.
As for risk, I'll end my statement with a question: Do you honestly believe the woman sitting at that table is a threat to anyone? Your Honor, Mr.
Pudi only came to our attention a matter of hours ago.
Now, he witnessed the robbery as he was closing up his bodega for the evening.
Saying it again doesn't make it any less a sandbag.
- You know that, right? - Gentlemen, I've heard enough.
- Good.
- Not so much, not for you.
Your Honor, if you're gonna let him call this surprise, last-minute, supposed eyewitness, we want the right to minimize the suggestibility of the in-court identification.
I'm game.
Minimize how? Locking up the roll-down gate for the night, you turned to see the robbery in progress, is that right? Yes.
In the streetlight, sir, just across the way.
And do you see the assailant in the courtroom today? Uh, I'm sorry, I'm not sure.
Take your time.
Maybe.
No.
The man is not here.
TIFFANY: So, um, Tino, just a-a few more questions.
Oh, you have a new baby, right? She'll be two months tomorrow.
She's right over there.
TIFFANY: Oh, my goodness, she's super new.
Is that your wife? Objection.
Relevance? JUDGE: Move it along, Miss Simon.
TIFFANY (chuckles): I'm so sorry.
That job you were telling me about, it's going well? Yeah, I got a good boss.
And where are you employed? Um I'd rather not say.
I don't want to get my boss in trouble.
Is that because you're here illegally, you're undocumented? Oh, my gosh, Your Honor, I am not supposed to say that, am I? It's okay.
That's admissible.
It is? I could have sworn that (gasps) Oh.
I can say he's undocumented, I just can't say that he'll be deported if he's convicted for even a minor drug charge.
It's so confusing.
LOWMAN: Objection.
Request that last remark - be stricken.
- Sustained.
(sighs) I'm still learning the ropes.
I'm so sorry.
You have to vote based on the evidence, even if it means breaking up Tino's family.
- My bad.
- Your Honor, - are you, are you kidding me? - JUDGE: Okay, enough.
Both of you, up here now.
(imitates Tiffany): Oh, my God, it's so weird.
You know there's this thing, it's called, um, contempt, and it has something to do with those handcuff-y things.
I-I'm just learning the ropes, but I could ask my court officer.
Now, say âthank youâ and sit down.
Thank you.
SADIE: She used to make me tapes.
Cassette tapes we called âPlay Me Whenâ tapes.
Mr.
Ward Jacob.
Something you said yesterday, it struck me.
When you were describing my mother back then.
It was chilling to me.
Not because I didn't recognize that person, but because I did.
My mom won't take no for an answer.
But because she won't take no for an answer, Bedford Women's Prison now has a nationally recognized child development center, where families torn apart by drugs and violence can come together.
Because she won't take no for an answer, this facility has the highest inmate literacy rate on the East Coast.
There's a program here that gives families of victims the chance to talk directly to inmates about the impact of their crimes.
Because she would not take no for an answer.
My mother is many things.
(Sighs) âEasyâ is not one of them.
But whether she was teaching me to read or to tie my shoes, which she did, right inside these walls, or standing up for those who can't stand up for themselves, she has managed After years of reflection, rehabilitation and remorse To turn something unspeakably tragic into hope.
After all the good she's done and all the progress she's made As an inmate, as a person, as a mother If Carolyn Rice isn't the poster child for parole, then who is? Between the documentation and what the commissioners have already heard, we're close.
- All we need, Carolyn - Mrs.
Rice? JOE JR.
: Tara? Wh-What are you doing here? TARA: I'm gonna speak on her behalf.
The hell you are.
That woman destroyed our family.
What family? Since we buried Mom, we've barely seen each other.
Even before that, Joe, Christmas, birthdays? But every two years, like clockwork, here you are.
This was Mom's life.
That woman got Dad killed.
We've been angry for 30 years.
You know what she's done with her 30 years? She's changed.
She's found a way to make things better.
(door opens) Just for the record: What Carolyn Rice did was awful.
But what she's done, it's just, it's enough already.
That's why I'm here today.
"To say, âenoughâ" Enough.
JURY FOREMAN: In the matter of the People v.
Sammie Kim, on the charge of robbery in the first degree, we find the defendant not guilty.
(gallery murmurs) Did I tell you? Did I tell you? You told us, Sammie.
You told us a lot.
Nick, I have to make a call.
Out front in five? Right behind you.
SAMMIE: Yeah! ARRINGTON: First trial as a member of the bar, and I get my clock cleaned.
You're 1-0.
Isaiah sure knows talent when he sees it.
Anyway, hell of a win.
Look at me.
Look at my face.
Excuse me? Look at my face.
Docket number MX147135.
That's the number I have seared into my brain and always will.
You don't even remember me.
I prosecuted you? (sighs) Uh, look, I had no idea.
I-I don't know what to say here.
You know how it is.
It's nothing personal, Nick, it's just too many cases and too many faces.
Yeah, I know.
That's the problem.
COMMISSIONER JIMENEZ: Okay, everyone.
We're ready to hear from the petitioner.
(clears throat) My-my daughter had it right.
I'm many things, but, uh, easy is not one of them.
(Chuckles) Among the things I am are these.
Lucky.
Changed.
And deeply, deeply sorry.
Joseph.
Peter.
Siobhan.
Tara.
I could say that not a day goes by that I don't think of your dad and all of you, and that's true.
But words can never replace what I took from you on that stretch of highway in 1982.
I took it from all of you.
From your late mother, down to her granddaughter Josie.
I remember you, Jake.
Like it was yesterday.
That filthy denim jacket, those eyes filled with such fierce idealism.
What I did, that awful turn your life took, with me at the wheel.
For longer than any place else, Bedford Hills has been my home.
I've managed to make a life here.
I managed to have a relationship, however untraditional, with my daughter.
And that's not something that Joseph Thomas's family ever had.
That's a sin.
If I stay here, if that's the hand that fate deals me, well, it will be a hell of a lot better than what fate and I handed you.
I think we have a sense of your level of remorse, - your good works.
- (sighs) However, I remain concerned about your path moving forward, if and when you are released.
Obviously, we find ourselves in a different time and place.
We live in a society that's a more equal one, a more just one.
The world has changed.
It hasn't changed that much.
I'm sorry, what do you mean, Ms.
Rice? N-No, nothing.
Just nothing.
I have a new cellmate.
Tamika.
I say ânewâ she is, but, uh I've met countless Tamikas in here black, white, Hispanic.
A new one trudges in every month.
The truth is, the world hasn't changed all that much.
The system is still as broken as it ever was.
The Tamikas in our culture have been betrayed, but by, uh, failing schools, and a-a fraying safety net, and by the indifference of God, God 99% of everyone else! I sit before you a peace-loving person deeply and sincerely regretting the death of Trooper Thomas.
But what we were trying to do back then, I-I can't say it was invalid.
And I, and I can't say that I won't continue to fight injustice if I get released, because I will.
(Stammers) Not with violence, but with every fiber of my being, I-I will.
I NICK: Albert.
Nice win.
What's with the bag? Sammie.
He paid us in fives and ones.
- Comped us the bag.
- Hey, Nick, Nick.
Hold up.
I, uh, was just up in my office.
I looked at your case file.
This is Heather Grunwald.
You're the reason she lost her house, her life savings.
These are the faces that I never forget.
You can keep the photo.
I'll see you in court.
Kind of wish you hadn't seen that.
I saw a lot of things today.
But that right there, that's what makes P.
J.
one of the good guys.
So he didn't remember your face.
Fine.
That's not his job.
His job is to remember her face.
Hey, you know what's awesome? You're undefeated.
All you had to do was sit there.
That's it.
Say nothing and get out.
But she was saying I don't care what she said.
I care what you said.
Don't you want to come home? - Don't you care about me at all? - Of course I do.
Then why did you have to say anything?! You couldn't just set aside your selfish feelings, for once, and shut your mouth? Sadie.
That girl, Tara, she Her family will probably never speak to her again.
She put herself on the line for you, Mom.
And for what? What is the point? Will somebody please tell me why we even came here if you don't even want out?! We haven't lost yet.
They're not letting her come home.
We don't know that.
No? COMMISSIONER JIMENEZ: We further note that the petitioner's disciplinary record has been exemplary, with not a single violation in the last 34 years, and that her release is supported without reservation by the warden here at Bedford Hills.
Nevertheless (whispers): Oh, God.
given the nature and severity of the offense, parole is hereby denied.
Quite a view.
I won.
Yeah, I was in court.
I saw you.
Your little wide-eyed Iowa hayseed routine.
That used to be you.
I mean, an exaggerated version of you, but I was just trying to win my case.
I get that you have to defend guilty people, but I don't know.
It's part of my job, Brandon.
And it's important.
It's not always pretty or easy, but that's what I love about it; I feel challenged.
I miss her.
The wide-eyed hayseed.
You've really changed, you know.
(softly): Yeah, yeah.
I know.
The night we met This isn't this isn't working.
We-we aren't working anymore, are we? And if I had the chance I hate it here, babe.
Never let you go I went to the interview, they offered me the job, and I just Back home, I have my own business.
We've been apart for so long that all we have time for when we're together is sex and food.
We don't have that much else in common anymore.
Every place we go So won't you please So what now? Be my baby (whispers): I think (sniffles) Say you'll be my darling Now you go back home.
Be my baby now You really like it here? No.
I love it.
I'll make you happy, baby Just wait and see (sighs) For every kiss you give me I'll give you three Brandon, how did you let that happen? A ânot my pantsâ defense? Seriously? And she won.
Your first solo case, and you won! (laughs) How was your first day? Rookie blew it up! I knew it! I knew it.
- Jerk.
- Uh, beginner's luck.
Rookie phenom is more like it.
The two of you, you've got to be sky-high.
But seriously, who starts a trial with a ânot my pantsâ defense? Be my baby Be my baby Say you'll be my darling Be my baby Be my baby now Be my baby I want you to be While I'm dreaming in the middle of the night I want you to be Come on, tell me Everything is all right I want you to be You're my lover and my best friend I wanna be with you until the end I want you to be When I see you walking down the street I want you to be I know we're walking to a different beat I want you to be All I wanna do is hold your hand What can I do to make you understand? I want you to be Be my baby I want you to be
- What? I passed the bar! - What? He's here?! What are you doing here? - I kissed Peter Garrett.
- The D.
A.
? CAMERON: It was unintentional, but I think I want to kiss him intentionally.
Every two years, I go before the same parole board and tell them how sorry I am.
Obviously, you are not doing it right.
CAROLYN: I think I'm going to need new counsel.
Put that down.
What? I'm just trying to pick up a little.
- Don't.
- Sadie, if your mom gets paroled, she's gonna come here.
It's like a towel graveyard.
I'm trying to help.
Well, you're jinxing it.
Every two years, I clean this place top to bottom and she never gets out.
This year, she's getting out.
So put the towel down.
You first.
Hmm.
- What's wrong? - Nothing.
See, I'm doing that thing that I do, and you're not doing the thing you do back.
- I'll do the thing.
- Okay.
Have you not written your statement, yet? - Yes, I have.
- Sadie.
I stare at the legal pad, and my mind goes blank.
How do I convince the board to let her out? You're not her lawyer.
You're her daughter.
It's not about arguing or convincing.
You just have to talk about your mom.
Hmm.
- ALBERT: How's your statement? - SADIE: Great.
That's not what Cam says.
She says you haven't done it.
She pulled me away from Sammie Kim just to come yell at you.
"I love Sammie Kim.
Tell him, âHiâ" I will not tell him, âHi,â 'cause Sammie has a thing for you, and he's gonna try to woo you with his knock-off purses.
I love it when Sammie Kim tries to woo me.
I'm not gonna traffic knock-off merch.
Not even a little Fendi shoulder bag Black, classic, goes with everything? Not even.
Write your statement.
I know it's not easy, but just lock the door and do it.
Nick! You know, we have an elaborate intercom system that makes yelling obsolete.
We're due at court in 90 minutes.
Nick's first official day sitting second chair.
Nick! - Seriously, Sadie, the statement.
- Got it.
Fine.
- How did it go? - It went fine.
Did you tell her it has to be great? That her mother's release depends on her statement being great? I did not tell her that.
You know why? 'Cause it's not true.
Whether or not Carolyn makes parole depends on a lot of things, some in your control, some not.
And I hope you're not putting that kind of pressure - on Sadie or yourself.
- I'm not.
Good.
Have you seen Nick? No, but I hear you have Sammie Kim, and I could use a Kate Spade cross-body satchel in Merlot or cerulean.
- Have you seen Nick? - No, Lucy said he went to court.
- 90 minutes early? - First-day jitters.
He better not be jittery.
Sammie's jittery enough.
Oh, that's right.
You have Sammie Kim as a client.
- Can you ask him if he can get me - No.
How's the fiancé? Is he mad that I woke you up in the middle of the night? Mad? I was done doing the research you asked me to do at 5:00 a.
m.
Then he wanted to watch the sunrise from the Staten Island Ferry.
- You're kidding.
- I'm a little touristed out.
Well, I can say this, you're glowing.
It hasn't all been touristy.
Okay.
Here's the current contact info for the trooper's kids.
Cam, how we doing? Feeling good.
Sadie's working on her statement, and I'm going to reapproach the trooper's family, see if they're in a forgiving mood.
Speaking from experience, prepare to have a door slammed in your face.
It's an uphill battle.
Well, as a great man once said, âUphill battles are the ones worth winning.
â Bingo.
Go get them.
Okay.
Hey, you.
Hey.
What's up? What are you doing here? I have a little something for you.
It's just a little âfirst official day in courtâ thing.
- You didn't have to do that.
- I know.
That's what makes it nice.
To Kill a Mockingbird.
First edition.
Wow.
Atticus Finch is the reason why I became a lawyer.
So, um, what are you doing here this early? Just soaking it in.
It's a big day.
You're gonna be fine.
- How's Brandon? - Great.
- How's he like New York? - Oh, he loves it.
He loves the crowds and the-the size of my apartment.
It's an adjustment.
- Yeah, he thinks the subway smells.
- He's not wrong.
It smells like hope and opportunity.
Also urine.
Ah.
He has an interview tomorrow at a landscape architect firm, and I think once he gets the job, he'll start to feel more at home and it'll be good.
Speaking of good, you are going to be so good today.
You are going to nail this whole lawyer thing.
You know what? I realized I've never objected in real court.
- How do you do it? - You just say it.
Objection.
Seriously? - (louder): Objection.
- That was pathetic.
(Clears throat) What the hell?! You say it like that, but it's just one word.
(chuckles) PETER: Ms.
Wirth.
Thank you for meeting me.
You asked, I came.
What's up? Last night, after dinner, I tried to go downtown.
That's not a metaphor.
I-I literally tried to go home with you, and you live downtown.
I know what you meant.
And you said you had to work on your statement.
Now, since then, I've been wondering, maybe six dates was enough for her to realize that she's not interested in my coin collection.
That is a metaphor, by the way.
No, I told you what I'm dealing with.
It's big.
I'm just distracted.
Cam, I get it.
The parole hearing, it's important.
I just wanted you to know that with everything on your mind right now, I want to be the guy you tell.
Peter, that's sweet, but I'm really good.
Okay.
I'll call you when I'm done.
Are we ever gonna have sex? Excuse me? See, normally, six dates in, I can get a feeling, you know, a sense.
And the sense I'm getting here is that maybe it's not happening.
I'm in the middle of a case.
Cam, if you're not into it, you can tell me, but you got to tell me because I am really into it.
I'm into it, too.
- SAMMIE: No joke, Albert.
- (elevator bell dings) I can get you a bag.
I'm talking 100% legit Louize Vuitton.
- Did he say âLouizeâ? - Do not engage.
Sammie, look, we're all excited.
It's Nick's first time in court since passing the bar.
For real? Up top! The point being, we got to focus.
And as I was saying, it's gonna come down to our I.
D.
expert versus their eyewitness.
We just need to convince the jury that the victim fingered the wrong guy.
The victim? The victim? - Y'all are looking at the victim.
- Here we go.
This guy, this so-called victim, gets a gun stuck up in his face, gives over his triple-fat goose-down coat, fine.
But then he I.
D.
s me? You want to arrest me, arrest me for the Rolexes, for the handbags Maybe keep our voices down.
But a coat? I'm holding someone up for a coat? Sammie got a warehouse full of all the coats he'll ever need.
Hey, Albert Cobb.
ALBERT: P.
J.
Arrington.
How the hell you doing? - Good.
- Sammie, we'll see you inside.
P.
J.
, Nick Brady.
Nick just passed the bar.
He's making his big league debut today.
ARRINGTON: That's great.
Welcome to the majors.
I'll, uh, see you guys in there.
- Nick, what's up with the attitude? - Forget it.
- Let's just get this over with.
- No, hold on.
P.
J.
's one of the good guys.
That guy? That âgoodâ guy? That's the D.
A.
who put me away.
He doesn't even remember me.
I was headed home down on East Broadway when this dude steps out of the shadows and sticks a gun in my face.
The man say anything? âLose the goose.
â He wanted my coat.
- Yeah, like that one.
- ARRINGTON: Any idea why? People buy them.
On the street, you could snag three, 400 cash in, like, a minute.
After he robbed you, what happened? I called the cops, yo.
That coat cost me 1,200 bucks.
(quietly): 1,200 bucks? - I could've got him six coats for that.
- Shh.
ARRINGTON: What happened after the cops came? Asked a bunch of questions, drove me to the precinct, and then sent in some artist.
A sketch artist who drew a composite sketch of the man who robbed you.
Yeah.
Then, like, two weeks later, they had me come in, - look at some dudes.
- In a lineup? Yeah.
I knew him in a hot second.
That's him right there.
I'm positive.
ARRINGTON: That'll be all.
Thank you.
Mr.
Bogarts.
Mookie.
I'm Nick Brady.
I was six months old when my dad was killed, so any memory of him, for me, comes from home movies.
My mom was in court every day of the trial.
She spoke at every parole hearing.
Keeping Carolyn Rice in prison became a personal crusade for her right up till the day she died.
I noticed you haven't gone to the last couple parole hearings.
You know, it's hard.
I guess I'm just trying to move on.
So is Carolyn.
My brothers and sister would never remain neutral on her release.
Even if I begged them, it wouldn't move the needle.
I get it.
It's a lot to ask.
So you know what she's done with her life.
- Because you were concentrating.
- Yeah.
- Because you wanted to get the guy.
- Yeah.
And you knew that your ability to describe him, to get every detail right, would be crucial.
- Yes.
- So, you focused, - memorized all the important details.
- Right.
'Cause if only some details are right, - it might not be the right guy.
- Sure.
Objection.
Where is this going? Let's find out.
Overruled.
- So you said he had dark hair.
- Yeah.
And you were right, which is crucial, because if he didn't have dark hair, - it wouldn't be the right guy.
- For sure.
Because every detail is crucial.
- Yeah.
- You got the lack of facial hair right, the skin tone, you even got the eyes.
- You memorized every crucial detail.
- Yeah.
Because Every detail is crucial.
- Because otherwise - It might not be the right guy.
In your initial statement to the police, you described the assailant as âbig.
â I was still in shock.
But the word you used was âbigâ - Yeah.
- In fact, you were more specific, weren't you? You said, âAbout six feet, 200 pounds.
â Yes.
I'd ask the prosecution to stipulate that Mr.
Kim tops out at 5'7â wearing shoes, and weighs 145 soaking wet.
So stipulated.
And that's crucial, every detail, because like you said, otherwise, it might not be the right guy.
Cam, you're hovering.
How's she doing? She's been in the same position all day.
She moved? Just the person I wanted to see.
Tiffany.
Walk with me.
I'm giving you the keys to the kingdom.
Oh, o-okay.
What-What exactly does that mean? Between the parole hearing and Albert and Nick's I.
D.
case, most of us are gonna be scattered to the winds, so you're in charge.
Okay, so, potential client intakes, press inquiries And we need to file that class action in the morning.
âMorning,â meaning like tomorrow morning? - Is that a problem? - No, not at all.
I just had, like, this dinner thing, but Well, here's an easy fix: How about you don't have, like, a dinner thing? CAROLYN: Hey, Sadie.
You settle down now.
Close your eyes.
They're not closed.
That's my girl.
The night we met I knew I needed you so And if I had the chance I'd never let you go So won't you say you love me? I'll make you so proud of me Hell of a job in there, counselor.
Not bad for a jailhouse lawyer.
Wow, really? Yeah.
I got my degree in prison.
Good for you.
TIFFANY: Okay, so, Tino, you were at the quinceañera for the daughter of a friend? My boss.
For his daughter, Coco.
Cops come in.
They frisk me and find a vial of coke.
A vial of cocaine was found in the right front pocket of the pants you were wearing.
Did you say anything to the officer? Yep.
I said, âThese are not my pants.
â âTh-These are not my pants.
â Seriously? Yeah.
My wife got them for me at a secondhand place.
The coke was just, you know, in there.
Okay.
Um, so I have to admit some level of skepticism on the viability of a ânot my pantsâ defense, but I will talk to the D.
A.
and see if we can make it go away.
SADIE: My name is Sadie Ellis.
Carolyn Rice is my mother.
She made me tapes.
Cassettes we called âPlay Me Whenâ tapes.
âPlay Me When You're Sad,â âPlay Me When You're Proud,â âWhen You're Scared,â âWhen You're Confused.
â Carolyn Rice wasn't a perfect mother, but she was, undeniably, a committed one.
Her presence was relentless.
If I couldn't get her on the phone, there were letters.
Every day but Sunday.
And every single night, there was her voice, on a dusty old tape recorder, singing me to sleep.
I have no memory of the moment my mother handed me over to the man who would become like a father to me.
I imagine she did so fully aware that we wouldn't be together on the outside for a long, long time.
I imagine the two-year-old version of myself must've waited for her to come back.
I don't know when I stopped waiting.
I was too young.
But now, I'm old enough to know that maybe I never stopped waiting.
I'm still waiting for my mom.
Too sentimental? I think we just might have a shot.
Hell, with that speech, I'll break her out myself.
(chuckles) (sniffles) (door buzzes, opens) You look great, Mom.
(laughs) You're a liar.
ISAIAH: Carolyn, you're a vision in green.
Sweet talker.
Let me just look at you two.
(chuckles) I just want to grab you.
(exhales) Ladies and gentlemen, let's settle in.
I'd like to start this hearing in a hard five.
Asher Lowman? I'm Tiffany Simon.
I'm with Isaiah Roth & Associates.
I'm representing a Mr.
Tino Ramos? - Are you asking? - What? Y-Your voice went up, like you were asking.
Thanks.
You're welcome.
Okay.
Let's try this again.
I'm Tiffany Simon.
I'm representing Tino Ramos.
Okay.
I'd like an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal? Again, your voice went up.
Would you like to have a sip of your coffee? Maybe you'll be in a better mood if you're caffeinated.
(chuckles) We don't ACD drug cases.
Your client had a vial of crack in his pants.
They weren't his pants.
Are you kidding me? His wife bought them for him at a secondhand store.
See, I thought of that, and I checked, and those places all wash their pants before they sell them.
TIFFANY: Then I said, âI have a friend who's managed âa bunch of secondhand stores, and I happen to know that is not true.
â - Except you don't.
- Except I don't! Oh, my God! Tiff, you lied? - Only kind of.
- Wow, you're like a real lawyer.
He bought it, offered me a deal.
Oh! Hey, Tino! Thank you so much for coming in.
I have some good news.
You got a dismissal? No, but I got it knocked down to a small fine and a violation, which isn't even a crime.
It's like a traffic ticket.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, I need a dismissal.
I tried, but, Tino, we're talking about no jail time here.
I can't take a deal.
I'm undocumented.
Wait, what? Any drug-related conviction, I get deported back to Guatemala.
Why didn't you tell me this? I was two months old when my parents came.
I don't go around blabbing about it to people.
I'm not âpeople,â I'm your lawyer.
What am I gonna do? I got a wife and a kid.
We got to go to trial.
And not just go, we got to win.
ROSSITER: I'm Harold ROSSITER, the original prosecutor on this case.
JOE JR.
: My name is Joseph Thomas, Junior.
This is my fourth time speaking at one of these hearings.
The first time Carolyn Rice was eligible for parole, I talked about what it was like to grow up without a father.
The senseless murder of Trooper Thomas haunts me to this day.
JOE JR.
: The second time, I told the story of the white-gloved officer who came up to me at the funeral, bending down to present an eight-year-old boy with a folded flag and his father's hat.
After a reported bank robbery, he stopped a white panel van just as it turned onto the New York Thruway.
The third time, I talked about Josie, the granddaughter he never even came close to seeing.
ROSSITER: Seeing Carolyn Rice in the driver's seat, the white girl in the getaway van.
And now, this time, the fourth time, I speak not just as a son on behalf of my father, but as a guard standing a post for Dad's brothers in blue.
ROSSITER: He walked around to the back of the van JOE JR.
: These people put themselves in harm's way, every single day, to keep us safe.
I stand for them.
I stand with them.
And I say no more.
and was brutally gunned down.
Not now, not ever.
It's the same message I send to Carolyn Rice today.
No parole.
Not now, not ever.
The research is incontrovertible.
Cross-racial effect is real.
Cross-racial effect? Simply put, members of a particular race are better at distinguishing between members of their own race.
We are less accurate with faces of other racial groups.
My co-counsel and I are both black.
Yes, and you look nothing alike, but the science suggests that if you did resemble one another, LeBron James would have an easier time telling you apart than, say, Tom Brady would.
Does the science show a correlation between certainty and accuracy? No.
People who say âI'm sure that's the guyâ are no more accurate than those who just think it's the guy.
So you can be sure and still be wrong? Absolutely.
Just ask my wife.
But there's a difference, right? Between being able to describe something and being able to recognize it? - Sure.
- So, juror number one may not be able to say exactly how tall I am or how much I weigh or even how old I am, but when I walk in here tomorrow, the odds are she's gonna recognize me, right? Sure.
Thank you, Dr.
Kirsch.
Dr.
Kirsch, is there a difference between juror number one recognizing Mr.
Arrington and the I.
D.
issues involved in this case? Absolutely.
The jury has spent a long time looking at Mr.
Arrington, in a low-pressure environment, whereas most crimes typically happen quickly, in a high-pressure situation, and are often perpetrated by strangers.
Thank you.
COMMISSIONER JIMENEZ: Mr.
ROSSITER, is there anyone else who'd like to be heard before we adjourn for today? Yes, Madam Commissioner, I believe there is.
CAROLYN: Jacob Ward is here? Well, for one thing, unlike Carolyn, I cooperated with the authorities.
I named names, gave up our safe house, I-I renounced the Movement.
I pled guilty and expressed remorse.
And you were recently granted parole? Yes.
And I I got to say, being back in prison, even with a visitor badge, it's, um But I had to come.
Because? By the early '80s, I started having second thoughts about the Movement.
You know, I went home for Christmas, looking to leave the RLF for good.
Then the doorbell rings.
I get up to answer it.
It's Carolyn.
At my family's doorstep, at Christmas dinner.
I told you I wanted out.
But you couldn't let me be.
I mean, you-you come into my house, and you charm my family, and you manipulate me.
I was just a dumb kid! I just wanted to do good and you twisted that.
Six weeks later, I'm in the back of a beat-up van with a gun in my hand, about to cost a good man his life.
Carolyn Rice will come up here and she'll tell you a bunch of lies about how she's reformed.
But she is never gonna change.
She is wired this way.
She is persuasive, and she is dangerous, and she won't take no for an answer.
(knock on door) Peter.
What are you doing here? Well, I know there's not a ton of restaurants near the prison, so I figured the least I could do is bring you dinner.
And ginger ale.
Also diet ginger ale.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
- Where are you going? - Home.
You drove an hour and a half to bring me food, and now you're driving back? - Yeah.
- Why? Because that's what you do for someone you've been on six dates with, who's doing a parole hearing.
Wait.
I've never been on six dates with someone who's nice and funny and smart and I don't know how to be.
I don't know how to be either.
I might freak out.
I might sleep with you and then hate you.
And then I'll have to see you in court, and it'll be really awkward.
You might.
Or you might freak out.
I might.
Peter, I-I'm scared.
Me, too.
Carolyn has cancer, and I can't tell Sadie.
Oh, God, Cam.
I'm so sorry.
I feel like I'm lying every time I look at Sadie and Isaiah.
Why are you telling me? I don't know.
I know I probably shouldn't, but I didn't want to know it alone.
Plus, you have a nice face and I just want to try to trust you.
You wanted to know when we were gonna have sex? I think right now.
BRANDON: Hey, Tiff, check it out.
(sighs) I can touch both walls.
It's like a coffin.
Uh, it's cozy.
(Laughs) Ah, you're right.
It's awesome.
Because basically the only place I can be is right here.
Mmm.
Yeah, but I-I can't right now.
I'm just, I'm really worried about this whole Tino thing.
(sighs) What started off as a super simple case now has astronomical stakes.
If he gets found guilty, he has to go back to a country he doesn't know, a language he doesn't speak, leaving his wife and child.
If a jury knew that, there's no way that they would convict.
So tell 'em.
I can't.
It's not allowed.
Okay, so he gets convicted.
He had the drugs in his pocket.
It's not like he's innocent.
Oh, my God, do you, do you hear what you're saying? - What? - This is a man that came to me for help.
He's a criminal who got caught by the cops.
Look, I'm all for everyone getting their day in court, but I wouldn't lose sleep over this guy.
Wow.
Okay, you just you just, you just don't get it.
I don't not get it.
I just have a different opinion.
You know what? Let's just, um let's just drop this.
Yeah.
Fine.
I don't even know what you're talking about anymore.
(sighs) There's nowhere to go in this freakin' coffin.
And who needs eight locks? (groans) CAMERON: Respectfully, sending a message about the lives of police officers, while important, is not why we're here.
Because the intent of parole Indeed, the statutory mandate of parole is not about sending a message.
It's about the three R's: Remorse, rehabilitation and risk.
Carolyn Rice's remorse is real.
She'll show you that today.
You'll get a sense of not only rehabilitation, but of transformation.
As for risk, I'll end my statement with a question: Do you honestly believe the woman sitting at that table is a threat to anyone? Your Honor, Mr.
Pudi only came to our attention a matter of hours ago.
Now, he witnessed the robbery as he was closing up his bodega for the evening.
Saying it again doesn't make it any less a sandbag.
- You know that, right? - Gentlemen, I've heard enough.
- Good.
- Not so much, not for you.
Your Honor, if you're gonna let him call this surprise, last-minute, supposed eyewitness, we want the right to minimize the suggestibility of the in-court identification.
I'm game.
Minimize how? Locking up the roll-down gate for the night, you turned to see the robbery in progress, is that right? Yes.
In the streetlight, sir, just across the way.
And do you see the assailant in the courtroom today? Uh, I'm sorry, I'm not sure.
Take your time.
Maybe.
No.
The man is not here.
TIFFANY: So, um, Tino, just a-a few more questions.
Oh, you have a new baby, right? She'll be two months tomorrow.
She's right over there.
TIFFANY: Oh, my goodness, she's super new.
Is that your wife? Objection.
Relevance? JUDGE: Move it along, Miss Simon.
TIFFANY (chuckles): I'm so sorry.
That job you were telling me about, it's going well? Yeah, I got a good boss.
And where are you employed? Um I'd rather not say.
I don't want to get my boss in trouble.
Is that because you're here illegally, you're undocumented? Oh, my gosh, Your Honor, I am not supposed to say that, am I? It's okay.
That's admissible.
It is? I could have sworn that (gasps) Oh.
I can say he's undocumented, I just can't say that he'll be deported if he's convicted for even a minor drug charge.
It's so confusing.
LOWMAN: Objection.
Request that last remark - be stricken.
- Sustained.
(sighs) I'm still learning the ropes.
I'm so sorry.
You have to vote based on the evidence, even if it means breaking up Tino's family.
- My bad.
- Your Honor, - are you, are you kidding me? - JUDGE: Okay, enough.
Both of you, up here now.
(imitates Tiffany): Oh, my God, it's so weird.
You know there's this thing, it's called, um, contempt, and it has something to do with those handcuff-y things.
I-I'm just learning the ropes, but I could ask my court officer.
Now, say âthank youâ and sit down.
Thank you.
SADIE: She used to make me tapes.
Cassette tapes we called âPlay Me Whenâ tapes.
Mr.
Ward Jacob.
Something you said yesterday, it struck me.
When you were describing my mother back then.
It was chilling to me.
Not because I didn't recognize that person, but because I did.
My mom won't take no for an answer.
But because she won't take no for an answer, Bedford Women's Prison now has a nationally recognized child development center, where families torn apart by drugs and violence can come together.
Because she won't take no for an answer, this facility has the highest inmate literacy rate on the East Coast.
There's a program here that gives families of victims the chance to talk directly to inmates about the impact of their crimes.
Because she would not take no for an answer.
My mother is many things.
(Sighs) âEasyâ is not one of them.
But whether she was teaching me to read or to tie my shoes, which she did, right inside these walls, or standing up for those who can't stand up for themselves, she has managed After years of reflection, rehabilitation and remorse To turn something unspeakably tragic into hope.
After all the good she's done and all the progress she's made As an inmate, as a person, as a mother If Carolyn Rice isn't the poster child for parole, then who is? Between the documentation and what the commissioners have already heard, we're close.
- All we need, Carolyn - Mrs.
Rice? JOE JR.
: Tara? Wh-What are you doing here? TARA: I'm gonna speak on her behalf.
The hell you are.
That woman destroyed our family.
What family? Since we buried Mom, we've barely seen each other.
Even before that, Joe, Christmas, birthdays? But every two years, like clockwork, here you are.
This was Mom's life.
That woman got Dad killed.
We've been angry for 30 years.
You know what she's done with her 30 years? She's changed.
She's found a way to make things better.
(door opens) Just for the record: What Carolyn Rice did was awful.
But what she's done, it's just, it's enough already.
That's why I'm here today.
"To say, âenoughâ" Enough.
JURY FOREMAN: In the matter of the People v.
Sammie Kim, on the charge of robbery in the first degree, we find the defendant not guilty.
(gallery murmurs) Did I tell you? Did I tell you? You told us, Sammie.
You told us a lot.
Nick, I have to make a call.
Out front in five? Right behind you.
SAMMIE: Yeah! ARRINGTON: First trial as a member of the bar, and I get my clock cleaned.
You're 1-0.
Isaiah sure knows talent when he sees it.
Anyway, hell of a win.
Look at me.
Look at my face.
Excuse me? Look at my face.
Docket number MX147135.
That's the number I have seared into my brain and always will.
You don't even remember me.
I prosecuted you? (sighs) Uh, look, I had no idea.
I-I don't know what to say here.
You know how it is.
It's nothing personal, Nick, it's just too many cases and too many faces.
Yeah, I know.
That's the problem.
COMMISSIONER JIMENEZ: Okay, everyone.
We're ready to hear from the petitioner.
(clears throat) My-my daughter had it right.
I'm many things, but, uh, easy is not one of them.
(Chuckles) Among the things I am are these.
Lucky.
Changed.
And deeply, deeply sorry.
Joseph.
Peter.
Siobhan.
Tara.
I could say that not a day goes by that I don't think of your dad and all of you, and that's true.
But words can never replace what I took from you on that stretch of highway in 1982.
I took it from all of you.
From your late mother, down to her granddaughter Josie.
I remember you, Jake.
Like it was yesterday.
That filthy denim jacket, those eyes filled with such fierce idealism.
What I did, that awful turn your life took, with me at the wheel.
For longer than any place else, Bedford Hills has been my home.
I've managed to make a life here.
I managed to have a relationship, however untraditional, with my daughter.
And that's not something that Joseph Thomas's family ever had.
That's a sin.
If I stay here, if that's the hand that fate deals me, well, it will be a hell of a lot better than what fate and I handed you.
I think we have a sense of your level of remorse, - your good works.
- (sighs) However, I remain concerned about your path moving forward, if and when you are released.
Obviously, we find ourselves in a different time and place.
We live in a society that's a more equal one, a more just one.
The world has changed.
It hasn't changed that much.
I'm sorry, what do you mean, Ms.
Rice? N-No, nothing.
Just nothing.
I have a new cellmate.
Tamika.
I say ânewâ she is, but, uh I've met countless Tamikas in here black, white, Hispanic.
A new one trudges in every month.
The truth is, the world hasn't changed all that much.
The system is still as broken as it ever was.
The Tamikas in our culture have been betrayed, but by, uh, failing schools, and a-a fraying safety net, and by the indifference of God, God 99% of everyone else! I sit before you a peace-loving person deeply and sincerely regretting the death of Trooper Thomas.
But what we were trying to do back then, I-I can't say it was invalid.
And I, and I can't say that I won't continue to fight injustice if I get released, because I will.
(Stammers) Not with violence, but with every fiber of my being, I-I will.
I NICK: Albert.
Nice win.
What's with the bag? Sammie.
He paid us in fives and ones.
- Comped us the bag.
- Hey, Nick, Nick.
Hold up.
I, uh, was just up in my office.
I looked at your case file.
This is Heather Grunwald.
You're the reason she lost her house, her life savings.
These are the faces that I never forget.
You can keep the photo.
I'll see you in court.
Kind of wish you hadn't seen that.
I saw a lot of things today.
But that right there, that's what makes P.
J.
one of the good guys.
So he didn't remember your face.
Fine.
That's not his job.
His job is to remember her face.
Hey, you know what's awesome? You're undefeated.
All you had to do was sit there.
That's it.
Say nothing and get out.
But she was saying I don't care what she said.
I care what you said.
Don't you want to come home? - Don't you care about me at all? - Of course I do.
Then why did you have to say anything?! You couldn't just set aside your selfish feelings, for once, and shut your mouth? Sadie.
That girl, Tara, she Her family will probably never speak to her again.
She put herself on the line for you, Mom.
And for what? What is the point? Will somebody please tell me why we even came here if you don't even want out?! We haven't lost yet.
They're not letting her come home.
We don't know that.
No? COMMISSIONER JIMENEZ: We further note that the petitioner's disciplinary record has been exemplary, with not a single violation in the last 34 years, and that her release is supported without reservation by the warden here at Bedford Hills.
Nevertheless (whispers): Oh, God.
given the nature and severity of the offense, parole is hereby denied.
Quite a view.
I won.
Yeah, I was in court.
I saw you.
Your little wide-eyed Iowa hayseed routine.
That used to be you.
I mean, an exaggerated version of you, but I was just trying to win my case.
I get that you have to defend guilty people, but I don't know.
It's part of my job, Brandon.
And it's important.
It's not always pretty or easy, but that's what I love about it; I feel challenged.
I miss her.
The wide-eyed hayseed.
You've really changed, you know.
(softly): Yeah, yeah.
I know.
The night we met This isn't this isn't working.
We-we aren't working anymore, are we? And if I had the chance I hate it here, babe.
Never let you go I went to the interview, they offered me the job, and I just Back home, I have my own business.
We've been apart for so long that all we have time for when we're together is sex and food.
We don't have that much else in common anymore.
Every place we go So won't you please So what now? Be my baby (whispers): I think (sniffles) Say you'll be my darling Now you go back home.
Be my baby now You really like it here? No.
I love it.
I'll make you happy, baby Just wait and see (sighs) For every kiss you give me I'll give you three Brandon, how did you let that happen? A ânot my pantsâ defense? Seriously? And she won.
Your first solo case, and you won! (laughs) How was your first day? Rookie blew it up! I knew it! I knew it.
- Jerk.
- Uh, beginner's luck.
Rookie phenom is more like it.
The two of you, you've got to be sky-high.
But seriously, who starts a trial with a ânot my pantsâ defense? Be my baby Be my baby Say you'll be my darling Be my baby Be my baby now Be my baby I want you to be While I'm dreaming in the middle of the night I want you to be Come on, tell me Everything is all right I want you to be You're my lover and my best friend I wanna be with you until the end I want you to be When I see you walking down the street I want you to be I know we're walking to a different beat I want you to be All I wanna do is hold your hand What can I do to make you understand? I want you to be Be my baby I want you to be