Spotlight On OAD Alum

Sarah Geraghty is a former OAD Staff Attorney who now works at the Southern Center for Human Rights. We asked her some questions about her work there and how she feels OAD has helped her in her current work.

What is the mission of the Southern Center for Human Rights? How would you describe your role there?

I’m a staff attorney at the Southern Center for Human Rights (“SCHR”). SCHR is dedicated to enforcing the human rights of people in the criminal justice system in the Deep South. Based in Atlanta, SCHR challenges unconstitutional and illegal criminal justice practices that target the poor, people of color and marginalized groups; represents people facing the death penalty who would otherwise have no representation; and seeks to transform the justice system into one that is fair, transparent, humane, and effective.

What attracted you to work at SCHR?

I work at SCHR because of the desperate need for the kind of legal services that our office provides. To give a few examples of this need, yesterday I visited a jail in south Georgia where I met a 25-year old man who has been in jail for over a year for missing a few child support payments. He had no notice that he faced jail time, no court hearing of any kind, and no lawyer. The day before, I met man a in a neighboring county who had been handcuffed, shackled at the legs, held down, and repeatedly shocked with a Taser by officers attempting to coerce him into admitting that he keyed a police car. Earlier this year, two of my colleagues represented men who were deprived of adequate nutrition in the Morgan County Jail in Decatur, Alabama. The men were fed bloody chicken and paper thin slices of bologna, leaving them hungry. My colleagues discovered that while the inmates went hungry, the sheriff pocketed $212,000 meant to buy food for the inmates.

The criminal justice system in the South is deeply flawed and a lot of important work remains to be done. At SCHR, I can participate in this effort with a wonderful group of smart and hardworking colleagues who are never afraid to take on big issues and unpopular causes. When I was a law student intern here ten years ago, I couldn’t wait to get up and come to work in the morning. I feel the same way today.

How do you feel your experience at OAD prepared you for your work at SCHR and how do you feel the two jobs relate to each other?

I look back on my time at OAD with great fondness and gratitude to my former colleagues and supervisors. At OAD, I learned how to write briefs and prepare for oral argument. The work product of the office was superb and the quality of supervision was unparalleled. Because of OAD, I came to the SCHR ready to hit the ground running. It was excellent training that has served me well. I feel lucky to have worked with such a great group of OAD colleagues.