Mike Morse Law Firm Podcast

Crime affects all of our lives—anyone can be accused, know someone accused, or serve on a jury. Mitigation expert and author Victoria Rusk gets to the “whys” behind a crime, helping jurors, DAs, and attorneys to work for fair and appropriate punishments, in hopes of reducing the American mass incarceration crisis. Her recent book The Handbook of Mitigation has quickly become canon within the legal mitigation sphere for anyone interested in sentencing justice. How did a former broadcast journalist from Lubbock, Texas, become a leading professional advocate for fair sentencing? Find out for yourself on Episode 79 of Open Mike.

At least 400 hours of research goes into a mitigation investigation of an accused person. To get the death penalty waived as a form of punishment, she forms a community around the case plus collecting personal records. Conducting extensive family interviews going back at least two generations is part of the winning formula in capital work. In these types of cases, family members and loved ones are the experts who have known the accused throughout their life. They provide invaluable insight on the traumas, mental illnesses, and other character-defining circumstances that may have contributed to the crimes committed. As a result, their accounts can humanize the accused and possibly influence the decision makers like a jury or judge in a positive way.

Watch the episode to find out more.