TONIGHT ABOUT THE FIRST COHORT OF GRADUATES FROM THE NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY PRISON EDUCATION PROGRAM.

>> SINCE THEIR GRADUATION LAST FALL.

A COUPLE OF THE MEN WERE RELEASED FROM INCARCERATION AT STATE BILL CORRECTIONAL FACILITY, ONE OF THEM KENLEY WAS RELEASED SEVERAL MONTHS AGO AFTER 22 YEARS IN PRISON AND WITH HIS DEGREE FROM ONE OF THE TOP 10 SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY, HE'LL BE RETURNING TO BEING A STUDENT AT THIS TIME AT ONE OF THE TOP 10 LAW SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY.

BERNARD MCKINLEY IS LIKE MOST OTHER PARALEGALS PREPPING FOR LAW SCHOOL AND WORKING WITH ATTORNEY AND PROFESSOR SHEILA BEDI.

>> PSYCHOLOGICALLY PREPARE MYSELF FOR FIRST-YEAR LAW SCHOOL, WHICH WHAT BEEN TOLD WOULD BE THE MOST STRESSFUL.

>> BUT PAST TO BECOME A LAWYER IS DIFFERENT FROM MOST OF HIS CLASSMATES.

>> SO THE SEA YOU KNOW, THAT KNOW ALL THE HARD WORK OF PUTIN HAS FINALLY CAME ABOUT AND, YOU KNOW, I CAN SEE MY SUCCESS.

>> AT 19 YEARS OLD, HE WAS SENTENCED TO 100 YEARS IN PRISON FOR A CRIME THAT HE COMMITTED.

HE WAS 16.

>> WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A WIDE-REACHING DISCUSSION ABOUT 2 TOPICS.

>> WE FIRST MET HIM WHEN HE WAS A STUDENT IN THE NORTHWESTERN PRISON EDUCATION PROGRAM AT STATE BILL CORRECTIONAL.

>> MCKINLEY.

SEE HIM AGAIN AT GRADUATION IN THE FALL OF 2023.

>> EVEN AMONG THE EXTRAORDINARY STUDENTS BEEN, I'D STOOD OUT FOR HIS QUIET LEADERSHIP FOR UNDERSTANDING OF THE LAW AND THE RIGOR WITH WHICH HE APPROACHES A LOT.

>> IT WAS HIS EXPERIENCE BEHIND BARS BUT SPARKED HIS INTEREST IN A LEGAL CAREERS.

>> I FIRST GOT MY LITTLE PROMO, I WAS NO.

>> HAPPY USE IT.

>> TEXAS AS THE THE KNOWLEDGE THAT I HAD A GAME FROM IT.

BUT AS TIME WENT ON AND I SEEN THE DIFFERENT KNOW PROBLEMS THAT WE'RE GOING TO SET THE PRISON FAR YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT INHUMANE IS THAT WE'VE BEEN COMMITTED.

IT MAY BE LOOKING TO THE LAW.

SO THE SEE HOW TO HELP RENEW SITUATIONS.

>> HE ALSO SUCCESSFULLY ARGUE TO REDUCE HIS OWN 100 YEAR SENTENCE DOWN TO 25 YEARS.

>> SO MILLER VERSUS ALABAMA CAME OUT IN 2012 THAT ALLOWED ME TO TURN THIS.

MY SENSE IS GIVEN THAT CRIME THAT COMMITTED AND TAKE FULL ACCOUNTABILITY FOR HAPPENED WHEN I WAS 16 AND IT ALLOWED ME TO GO BACK TO FRONT OF THE >> HE WAS RELEASED FROM STATE PRISON IN LATE 2023 AFTER SERVING 22 AND A HALF YEARS.

A FEW MONTHS LATER, HE LEARNED MCKINLEY WAS ACCEPTED TO HIS TOP LAW SCHOOL CHOICE.

NORTHWESTERN PRITZKER SCHOOL OF LAW.

>> I KNEW WHEN BERNARD TOLD ME YOU YEARS AGO, I THINK IN 2017 HE WAS GOING TO BE A CIVIL RIGHTS LAWYER.

I KNEW THAT WOULD HAPPEN.

I KNEW THAT IT WOULD HAPPEN.

I JUST DIDN'T.

KNOW THAT IT WOULD HAPPEN SO SOON.

AND IN LATE APRIL, HE WAS RELEASED FROM TRANSITIONAL HOUSING AS A REQUIREMENT OF HIS SUPERVISED RELEASE.

>> REMOVING ONE LAST BARRIER FOR THAT TOUGH FIRST YEAR OF LAW SCHOOL.

>> THEN THEY MOVED TO HAVE STUDY GROUP WITH SOME OF MY CLASSMATES, TOO LAID WAS THAT IN?

I DO BEING ABLE TO GO INTO NORTHWEST INDIANA BEES RESEARCH, CERTAIN CASE LAW, ALL OF THE MATERIAL I NEED IN ORDER TO WHEN I HEAR OF THEIR STRESSFUL EXAMS, LAW SCHOOL.

>> IS IS TOUGH FOR ANYONE.

LAW SCHOOL IS PARTICULARLY TOUGH FOR BLACK AND BROWN STUDENTS WHO ARE FIRST GEN AND COMPOUNDING THAT WITH TONIGHT'S LIFE EXPERIENCE, YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S NOT GOING TO BE EASY.

AND BERNARD HAS OVERCOME SO MUCH, YOU KNOW, AND ARGUE TELLS STORIES OF HAVING TO STUDY THE LAW AND FORGO FOOD BECAUSE HE'S USING HIS COMMISSARY FUNDS TO BUY LEGAL BOOKS BECAUSE HE'S SO FOCUSED AND DETERMINED.

I KNOW HE CAN DO IT.

I ALSO KNOW THERE'S GOING TO BE CHALLENGES.

BETTY BELIEVES MCKINLEY HAS ALREADY SHOWN HE CAN RISE TO THOSE CHALLENGES.

>> AFTER LAW SCHOOL, HE PLANS TO START A NONPROFIT CIVIL RIGHTS CLINIC TO HELP OTHERS.

THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT.

>> SOME THINGS.

THEY HAVE BEEN NEGATIVE TO THE COMMUNITY AND BEING ABLE TO COME HOME AND STARTED THE NONPROFIT.

AND GIVE THAT.

TO THE COMMUNITY IS TO THE SOUTH TO DO AND THAT'S WHY FIRST, THOUGH.

>> BECAUSE BENARD MCKINLEY IS ON PAROLE AND MANDATORY SUPERVISED RELEASE.

HE STILL