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Radley Balko: The Redeem Team
Collectively, they spent 155 years in prison. Now they counsel other people facing their own long sentences. A conversation with five peer advocates at the New Orleans public defender's office.
The Redeem Team
By Radley Balko
From left: Michael Banford, Everett Offray, Terry Pierce, Louis Gibson, and Robert Jones.
March 15, 2025 - Of the five men who serve as “peer advocates” for the Orleans Parish Public Defender, only one — Robert Jones — is an exonoree. He was released in 2016 after the BBC uncovered evidence of his innocence. He had been convicted of a rape and robbery spree in the French Quarter that culminated in the killing of a British tourist. Jones now serves as director of community outreach for the office.
Another of the five, Terry Pierce, says he was acting in self-defense when he shot and killed a man in 1980. The other three — Michael Banford, Everett Offray, and Louis Gibson — do not claim that they were innocent.
While Jones was 19 at the time of the alleged crime, the other four men were convicted for murders committed when they were juveniles. All four were sentenced to life without parole, and all four were were among the hundreds of prisoners released after a series of Supreme Court decisions limiting when states can impose life sentences on minors, but before the more conservative Trump-era court began to narrow those decisions.
The peer advocate advocate is a relatively new position that you’ll primarily find in holistic public defender offices. The idea is to have formerly incarcerated people serve as counselors, advisors, and mentors to clients facing serious criminal charges. Their job is to build trust and facilitate communication between the accused and their legal team. Their responsibilities might include advising clients considering plea bargains, helping people recently released adjust to reentry, and preparing clients and their families for prison after a conviction.
I interviewed these five men last month while visiting public defender offices around the country as research my forthcoming book, The Defenders.
I wanted to share the interview now because we’re currently in the midst of a broad backlash against criminal justice reform, rehabilitation, and the very notion of empathy.
I also wanted to share it because I found these guys inspiring. They’re living proof that rehabilitation is real, that people really do age out of crime, and that, as Bryan Stevenson famously put it, we’re all so much more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.
I’ve edited the interview for clarity and length.
For the full interview, click here for Radley Balko's substack, The Watch.
OPD Statement on the Death Penalty and Execution of Jessie Hoffman
As public defenders, we know each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. Everyone is capable of redemption and transformation. This includes Jessie Hoffman. The planned execution of Mr. Hoffman by nitrogen gas is cruel, inhumane, and unconstitutional. It also disregards the dignity, worth, and capacity for change and redemption in all of us - particularly Mr. Hoffman.
OPD offices closed due to dangerous winter weather in New Orleans and surrounding areas
OPD offices remain closed Tuesday through Friday, January 21 - 24 due to the unprecedented winter weather in New Orleans. We anticipate being open again to the public on Monday, January 27 as snow and ice have subsided.
Attorneys and staff can be reached via direct emails. Specific staff information can also be found on the staff page.
Confidential emails can also be sent via the contact form.
While Orleans Parish courthouses are closed, please see the Criminal District Court website for updates as to proceedings, directives, and court openings.
OPD Statement on Hate Speech by Former New Orleans Prosecutor
The recent WWLTV story highlighting racial hate speech by a former assistant district attorney while he was a prosecutor in New Orleans is shocking and deeply troubling. It is concerning both for our clients and the larger community who are asked to put their faith and trust in prosecutors to serve the community and deliver justice. We are disturbed so many New Orleanians’ lives were in the hands of someone demonstrating racial animus.
In Louisiana, prosecutors have near total discretion to decide who, what, where, when, and how to prosecute. Prosecutors have immense power over people’s lives. The use of racial epithets and hate speech is unacceptable, but particularly when it raises questions about how such power is exercised. Our community deserves better.
OPD FY25 Budget Public Notice
The Orleans Public Defenders will hold a public hearing on the FY 2025 proposed budget.
June 14, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.
OPD Conference Room
2601 Tulane Avenue, Suite 700
The proposed budget will be posted on the website and available for public inspection on June 13, 2024.
Media Advisory: OPD's Robert Jones to speak on panel regarding the state of public defense during a crime-focused election year
**MEDIA ADVISORY**
The State of Public Defense During a Crime-Focused Election Year
On Gideon Day, public defense chiefs from across the U.S. will hold a virtual press briefing to commemorate the establishment of an accused person’s right to counsel and to challenge misleading narratives about crime
