The late Johnnie Cochran is considered to be the best black lawyer to ever live yet upon his death he didn’t leave literary guides to help people navigate the judicial and criminal field. Surprisingly, a felon, who is also a black man, is the first to actually sufficiently publish these needed literary guides. Meet Jonah Sanders.
Q. To begin this interview please tell the reader where you’re from
A. I’m originally from East Orange, NJ. I was born in Orange, NJ and lived in the city of Newark but I mainly grew up in East Orange.
Q. How was life growing up?
A. Life growing up was complicated but as most black boys from the inner city, I navigated as best as possible. I didn’t have it as bad as alot of others I saw being because my grandmother raised me as best as she could then my father was a firefighter and did the best he could.
Q. Speeding along, how did you originally get arrested?
A. That in itself is a very long story but I’ll just say that I had some issues as a youth and suffered abuse which led me to be placed on group homes etc to the point of being homeless as a minor to which led me to commiting crimes just to eat.
Q. When did you decide to write law books?
A. Well after I took studies in criminal justice and criminology I just felt that it was appropriate. What is the point of learning all of this knowledge and holding it from people who really need it? It was just something that was needed and I was able 5o provide it
Q. Did you ever realized what you’ve done has never been done before?
A. Not at first I didn’t no but of course I heard about it and then researched it. It technically is pathetic for me to have to be the one to do it but that’s just how life works. You have books that talk about the law but not exactly law books so it’s an honor to do so.
Q. What are some of your lawbooks about?
A. I have a book on the fundamentals to ineffective assistance of counsel, another on a review of criminology, one on a breakdown of mental incompetency and a few more. To be honest there are a lot of books I’ve put together.
Q. What do you want your legacy to be?
A. Simply just a man who cares for his fellow man.
Jonah Sanders newest and most notable new lawbook details the criminal mind in the book, Unzipping The Mind: The Psychology of Criminal Minds.
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