Shannon Heffernan

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  • Username: ShannonHeffernan
  • Media Fellow
  • Role: Producer/Reporter: Independent

Recent Pieces from Shannon Heffernan

Caption: Aladdin's Castle, Credit: Chuck Wlodarcyk

The Bright and Dark Sides of Chicago's Riverview Park (10:00)
From: WBEZ

Investigating a historic Chicago amusement park.
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Life of the Law #06 - Block Boss (Explicit) (12:16)
From: Life of the Law

On every city block, there are rules. Some are unspoken, some require friendly reminders, some are enforced by the law. Is it ever OK to break the rules in order to prevent ...
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Life of the Law #11 - Without Means (10:30)
From: Life of the Law

More than 30,000 people died by guns in 2011 in the US. Of those, close to 20,000 died by suicide. Many still do not make a connection between gun availability and suicide ...
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Life of the Law #04 - Law in Translation (10:20)
From: Life of the Law

Vietnamese fishing communities are still finding themselves grounded by the BP oil spill, one of the largest environmental disasters of the century. These fishermen and women ...
Caption: Carmen Ward has been an inmate in San Quentin’s Adjustment Center for seven years, Credit: Nancy Mullane

Life of the Law #09 - Reporter on Death Row (27:37)
From: Life of the Law

What do we really know about death row in California? When we don’t know we create, we imagine.
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Life of the Law #08 - Redesigning Justice (11:48)
From: Life of the Law

Red Hook is an isolated neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, once known as the “crack capital of America.” In 2000, residents banded together to create a community justice center ...
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Life of the Law #07 - Felony Factory (13:00)
From: Life of the Law

You’ve just been arrested, charged with a felony and can’t afford to pay your bail, let alone hire a lawyer. You know you have the right to a trial by jury or judge, but what ...
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Life of the Law #05 - Tough Crowd (12:16)
From: Life of the Law

Is the law ever a laughing matter? We present to you a brief history of attempted comedy in the toughest room in the country—the Supreme Courtroom.
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Life of the Law #03 - Two Sides of A River (16:17)
From: Life of the Law

The riverbank is a public space open for everyone. But people do not always agree on how to best spend a hot summer day.
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Life of the Law #02 - Jailhouse Lawyers (14:10)
From: Life of the Law

In California, there are hundreds if not thousands of people practicing criminal law though they’ve never passed a bar exam. They don’t wear suits. They don’t have ...