A lesson from Ellis Island
What I learned from my grandfather’s life about being a prosecutor and a defense lawyer
After waves of immigration, Ellis Island in post-WWII America served a darker and far less-known role. By the 1950s, Ellis Island had been transformed into a place where society’s undesirables, mentally ill or politically inconvenient, were held. Many, like my grandfather, were held without ever being charged with a crime—and without the ability to post bail or bond or the benefit of legal representation. By Paul Young

