Alabama Criminal Justice Symposium
Presented at the Convention of theLeague of Women Voters of Alabama
May 2, 2015
Auburn, AL
Panelist Profiles
Jefferson Dunn
Alabama Commissioner of Corrections
Commissioner Dunn held many flying assignments with over 3,500 flying hours in the B-52, C-141, C-9, T-37 and T-38 aircraft. In addition to serving as a joint planner for U.S. European Command Headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, Commissioner Dunn served at the Pentagon as Deputy Director, Combating Terrorism and Support Activities for the Office of the Secretary of Defense; Senior Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas’ Security Affairs; and, Chief of Rated Force Policy for Headquarters United States Air Force. His command assignments include Commander and Director of Operations, 75th Airlift Squadron, Ramstein, Germany; Vice Commander of the 14th Flying Training Wing, Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi; and Commander of the Thomas Barnes Center for Enlisted Education at Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama.
Commissioner Dunn resides in Montgomery with his wife, Susan, and two children son, Shaw, and daughter, Morgan.
Janette Grantham
Executive Director, Victims of Crime and Leniency (VOCAL)
Biography not available. Visit the Vocal website for more information.
Darrell Morgan
Assistant Executive Director, AL Board of Pardons and Paroles
Morgan left Thomasville to take over the women’s facility in Wetumpka, Alabama, in 2009. After this facility closed in 2010, he returned to Birmingham as a District Manager for the area. He served in Birmingham until his promotion to Assistant Executive Director in February of 2015.
Morgan is a native of Camden, Alabama and a graduate of the University of West Alabama. He currently resides in Hayden, Alabama, with his wife Cheryl and their two dogs.
Maria Morris
Senior Supervising Staff Attorney, Southern Poverty Law Center’s AL Office
She is a graduate of Barnard College at Columbia University, also holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia, and graduated from Emory University School of Law. She previously served as a law clerk to Judge William Canby of the Ninth Circuit.
Judge Teresa T. Pulliam
Circuit Judge, AL 10th Judicial Circuit, Criminal Division
She has been a faculty instructor for the National Judicial College in the area of Capital Murder Litigation, and is regularly called on to teach the new judges in the state in this area of the law. She is a frequent speaker on ethics and professionalism in the courtroom. She is active in the Circuit Judges Association, the Birmingham Bar Association, and the Birmingham Bar Foundation. She serves by appointment of the Alabama Supreme Court, on the Criminal Pattern Jury Instruction Committee. She is on the executive board of the Women Lawyers Section. She has been honored by selection as a Fellow of the Bar, and is a recipient of the Drayton Nabors Award, awarded by the Young Lawyers Section of the Bar. Judge Pulliam is a recipient of the Metro Birmingham NAACP’s Justice Award. She currently serves as one of two Circuit judges statewide, appointed by the Chief Justice, for service on the State’s Prison Reform Task Force. She is also a member of the executive councils of both the State and Federal work groups charged with reentry and sentencing reform.
Judge Pulliam is a long time member of Gateway’s Board of Trustees as well as Children’s Village. She is past president of the National Alumni Association for Birmingham Southern College, a current member of the Board of Trustees of Living River, A Retreat on the Cahaba and an active elder at Independent Presbyterian Church. She is a graduate of Leadership Birmingham. Judge Pulliam is a member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham and has been active in PTA. She has been married for 29 years to Max Pulliam, a practicing attorney in Birmingham. She and Max are proud parents of 15 year old Alice Jordan Pulliam.
Miriam Shehane
Founder, Victims of Crime and Leniency (VOCAL)
Miriam became involved in the Victims’ movement following the abduction, rape and murder in 1976 of her 21 year old daughter, Quenette, a college student at Birmingham Southern College. Finding the judicial system less than “Victim friendly”, Miriam was soon lost in a “system” guaranteeing the criminal theirs rights yet ignoring the Victim those same rights. She set about seeking changes in the way victims were treated in the criminal justice system by supporting legislation addressing the plight of yes, even the victim. She has worked tirelessly over 33 years and most of that work has been done at her own expense. Over all those years her priorities have always been on the side of the victim regardless of the cost.
Miriam has served on the Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission for more than 30 years. This is a state agency that reimburses innocent crime victims for their out of pocket expenses incurred due to their victimization. She deems this piece of legislation one of the greatest achievements she has involved in, having experienced the astronomical expense her family had over the five year period of 7 trials. This is just one of the 24 pieces of legislation accomplished. Miriam has served on numerous committees relating to crime victims issues and is referred to as the Mother of the crime Victims’ movement and is truly a friend of crime victims. Her dedication to the victims’ movement has been acknowledged nationwide and has spoken nationally on victims issues.
Miriam and her husband, Edward, lost their son, Jon, to cancer in 2012. They have a daughter, Sonya. Miriam and Edward are the proud grandparents of seven (7) grandchildren and eight (8) great grandchildren.
Joel Sogol
Criminal Defense Attorney, Tuscaloosa, AL
Mr. Sogol is an adjunct professor teaching trial advocacy at the University of Alabama School of Law. He has also lectured on criminal law, the First Amendment, and trial advocacy as part of conferences, conventions, and legal education seminars.
He is a member of the American Civil Liberties Union and has worked with the ACLU on cases involving First Amendment issues, such as freedom of religion and prayer in school. He served on the ACLU of Alabama Litigation Committee for many years and as Chairman of that committee from 1994-1998.
Mr. Sogol is a founding member, lecturer, and past president of the Alabama Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association. He has served as the Alabama Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Associations representative to the Alabama Sentencing Commission since 2006.
Since 1984, he has served in many capacities on the Alabama State Bar Association’s Committee on Indigent Defense. He served as Chairman of that committee from 1995-1997.
In 2014 Joel Sogol was recognized by the National Association of Criminal Defense Atorneys as one of the nations top ten criminal defense attorneys.
He is married to Angela Hill Sogol and has three children.
Jefferey Williams
Deputy Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections
Commissioner Williams began his career with the Department of Corrections in 1980 at Draper Correctional Facility as a Correctional Officer. He worked his way through the ranks to become Director of Community Corrections and was appointed Deputy Commissioner on March 1, 2011.
Commissioner Williams is responsible for the daily operations of the Community Corrections Division and serves as a Legislative Liaison, monitoring issues that affect the functioning of the Department. Commissioner Williams is also the liaison between the Department and other state and local agencies in matters affecting the functioning of the Department of Corrections.
He works closely with the Alabama Sentencing Commission promoting criminal justice reform. Commissioner Williams is a graduate of Alabama State University.
Bennet Wright
Executive Director, Alabama Sentencing Commission
Mr. Wright also serves as the Commission's liaison to the Alabama Legislature and chairs the Commission’s Standards Committee tasked with developing the State’s sentencing guidelines.
Prior to joining the Commission, Mr. Wright worked for the federal judiciary at the United States Administrative Office of Courts in Washington, D.C. and before that taught courses including Statistics, Sociology, Criminology, and Deviance at Auburn University.
Mr. Wright received his undergraduate degree in criminology and his graduate degree in sociology.
Mr. Wright is a native of Crow Indian Reservation in Montana.
Judge O. L. “Pete” Johnson, Moderator
Retired District Judge, AL 10th Judicial Circuit (Jefferson Co.), Criminal Division
After earning his J.D. from Cumberland School of Law in 1974, he served as a deputy district attorney in Jefferson Co.. He successfully prosecuted over 150 felony jury cases including 7 death penalty cases. He practiced law in private practice, 1979-1984.
Pete Johnson served as a District Court Judge in Jefferson Co., 1984-2006 and as presiding judge of the Criminal Division, 1992-2006. In 1996, Judge Johnson started the Jefferson Co. Drug Court. It has been recognized nationally as a highly successful way to deal with drug addiction and crime. Judge Johnson has served on the Governor’s Task Force on Crime and Prison Overcrowding, the AL Sentencing Commission, and the AL Law Institute. He is a past member of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council Board of Directors.
He has taught courses for various bar associations and law enforcement agencies and has lectured in several states on the connection between drug addiction, alcohol addiction, and crime. He has written numerous articles on sentencing and edited the AL Drug Court Manual. He continues to study trends in sentencing across the nation.
Judge Johnson retired from the bench in 2006. He continued to handle his docket until all his clients completed Drug Court in 2009. Since 2007 he has served as chairman of the AL Drug Court Task Force and has developed Drug Courts in 66 of Alabama’s 67 counties. He served as city judge for Leeds, AL, 2008-2012, and currently serves as city judge for Mountain Brook, AL. Judge Johnson also currently serves as Drug Court judge for the University of Alabama MPACT Student Drug Court Program. He established the Jefferson Co. Veterans Drug Treatment Court over which he presides. He also practices law.
He is a member of and has been honored by local and AL bar associations. He is active in and has been honored by civic organizations such as the American Legion, Mother’s Against Drunk Driving, and Rotary Club International. He serves on the National Americanism Commission of the American Legion and has participated in the Alabama Boys State program for over 50 years. He has served as its director for over 30 years. He is a member of Vietnam Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Sons of the American Revolution, Birmingham Committee on Foreign Relations, Assoc. of Drug Court Professionals, AL District Judges Assoc., and the American Judicature Society.
Pete and his wife Jean have two adult sons, David and Seth, and one granddaughter, Natalie.