Attorney Jonathan Rapping knows, “it’s really hard to be a caring lawyer. Caring is painful.” His organization, Gideon’s Promise, is inspiring a new generation of public defenders facing “the nation’s greatest civil rights issue today” – the tragic shortage of representation for those who can’t afford a lawyer.

Jonathan Rapping is strengthening public defenders and transforming public defense across the nation.

The 1963 Supreme Court ruling, Gideon V. Wainwright, mandated that poor people accused of crimes must be provided counsel if we are to live up to our nation's promise of equal justice. Today, however, our nation's jails and prisons are disproportionately populated with members of our most vulnerable communities due to structural, financial, and cultural challenges that have kept us from fulfilling this promise. Through Gideon’s Promise, Jon is building a new generation of public defenders to address these challenges and help shift the nation towards true equality in our justice system.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx