You do your best. But a lot of times you cant provide the kind of representation that the constitution, our code of ethics and professional standards would have you provide. Derwyn bunton has been head of the new Orleans Public Defenders Office for the last eight years. The 52 lawyers on his staff are responsible for representing more than 20,000 people a year. How many of you believe that an innocent client went to jail because you didnt have enough time to spend on their case . You feel youve all had that experience . One by one, the patches are peeled away and the world comes back into focus. Youre witnessing the moment when the people in this room realize they can see, for the first time in years. Can you see my fingers . Their eyes and their faces begin to light up with a quiet sort of joy and wonder at the gift of sight. Doctors geoff tabin and sanduk ruit are eye surgeons, and now, they are life savers. Im steve kroft. Im lesley stahl. Im bill whitaker. Im anderson cooper. Im scott pelley. Those stories, tonight on 60 minutes. Gave us the power to turn this enemy into an ally . Microsoft and its partners are using smart traps to capture mosquitoes and sequence their dna to fight disease. There are over 100 million pieces of dna in every sample. With the microsoft cloud, we can analyze the data faster than ever before. If we can detect new viruses before they spread, we may someday prevent outbreaks before they begin. Pelley there is no word in the english language for a parent who has lost a child. Maybe its an abyss that we cant bear to make real by giving it a name. Bereaved parents feel that life itself lacks definition. What could be next for them . What could be worthwhile . A little over four years ago, we met mothers and fathers who sent their firstgraders to school one bright morning, and have endured the twilight ever since. When we returned to newtown, connecticut, recently, we found families who will never move on, but are finding ways to move forward. Newtown looks as it did the day before that day. The name is longoutdated; it was founded before the revolution, its flag pole raised after the civil war, and its town hall erected in the great depression. But, for those who know only the name, the history of newtown, connecticut begins on december 14, 2012, when a mentally ill man murdered 20 firstgraders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Ana grace was the daughter of nelba and jimmy greene. Have you found people who dont know you, after all these years, expecting you to get over what happened . Nelba greene you just took my breath away, because that happens a lot and it is so incredibly painful. Its like losing her all over again. Jimmy greene there have been those that have said things like, you know, so you guys are good now . Or i hope youve had some closure to your daughters murder. In the back of my heart, and i know in nelbas as well, its like our family will never be intact again. Our daughter, ana, was six years old. Pelley it was in that town hall, four months after the killing, that we first met the greenes and six other newtown families. Jimmy greene every day i cry because i miss her so much. Nicole hockley this is dylan. Pelley there was Nicole Hockley. Hockley i think the picture kind of sums him up perfectly. Mark barden we lost our sweet little daniel barden. Pelley mark and jackie barden. Mark barden daniel was a light of positive energy in our home. Francine wheeler ben was six years old. Pelley david and Francine Wheeler. Francine wheeler ben was smart and funny. David wheeler and our house is very quiet. Pelley David Wheeler filled that quiet with a shout to every parent. David wheeler i would like them to look in the mirror. And thats not a figure of speech, scott. I mean, literally, find a mirror in your house and look in it, and look in your eyes and say, this will never happen to me. Its going to happen again. It is going to happen again. And every time, you know, its somebody elses school, its somebody elses town, its somebody elses community. Until one day, you wake up and its not. Pelley that week, several of the families convinced the Connecticut Legislature to pass universal background checks and to limit the size of ammunition magazines. Then, they marched on washington to support a more modest proposal just closing the loopholes so that all purchases require a background check. Nicole hockley i stand before you now and ask you to stand with me. Pelley polls showed most americans stood with them, and so did the president. Neil heslin jesse was brutally murdered. Pelley they needed 60 votes in the senate. Joe biden the yeas are 54 and the nays are 46. Pelley but not even they could win a gun fight on capitol hill. Hockley when it was clear that they had lost, it was like all the air went out of your body in one quick swoosh. Because that gutwrenching defeat, how could how could this have just happened . Pelley wasnt there a sense after that vote of, okay, we tried. Im going home. . Hockley no mark barden not for me. Hockley never. Why would we do that . That thats not honoring our children. There is a saying, you know, fall nine times, get up ten. Well just keep getting up. Pelley so Nicole Hockley and mark barden founded Sandy Hook Promise, to train teachers and students how to prevent violence. It was a revelation for hockley after the f. B. I. Told the families that the gunman had been on a predictable path. Hockley and i remember asking the question, well, if you know these things about shooters, if you know that these signs and signals are given off, how come we dont know . And the director said, we just dont have the resources to train everyone in the country. We train law enforcement. We train other people. But we cant do it out to the mass public. And for me, that was the moment that i said, well, if you cant, we can. Well, good morning everyone. Pelley hockley spends half the year on the road, visiting schools, telling teachers and students how to spot the signs of social isolation. Hockley its these tiny actions that we can each take, that you all have the power to do, that are going to change someone elses life. Pelley one program, called start with hello, trains students to connect with their peers who are ignored or bullied. Mark barden it means so much to us that youre here and youre doing this. Pelley another is Say Something, which encourages kids to speak up. Hockley listen to the program. Pelley students are taught to watch for sudden changes in their classmates, a fascination with suicide or death or guns; changes in dress; or threats on social media. In 2015, mark barden trained students in cincinnati, and shortly thereafter, a middle School Student made a bomb threat. Hockley and it was overheard by another student who had been trained in our Say Something program. Mark barden this eighth Grade Student said, i wouldnt have thought twice about what i saw on social media until i had your training, and i said, this is exactly what theyre talking about. it gives me goose bumps just to think about it. Hockley i know. Pelley Sandy Hook Promise says it has trained more than a Million Students and teachers, but it has had more reach on the internet. This video, called evan, shows two students making a connection, but harder to spot in the background is whats happening to a troubled young man. If this program had been in place at Sandy Hook Elementary School the day before, do you think it hockley you read my mind. Sandy hook was preventable. And had someone been able to see those signs and signals that our shooter gave off throughout his life, and connect those dots, and make an intervention, i wouldnt be sitting here talking to you today. Pelley a parent who has lost a child has one fear left the end of remembering. And so many of the families have created projects that introduce their child to new people. Ben wheeler now lives in the work of bens lighthouse. His mother, francine, creates Service Projects for newtown kids. Francine wheeler what a wonderful way to honor him and continue to be his parents. Pelley continue to be his parents . Francine wheeler yeah. I cant live the rest of my life not talking about him. I mean, imagine you having a sixyearold, and then you dont anymore. Are you going to stop talking about them . The worst thing you can do to a grieving parent is not to mention the child. Then youre not acknowledging his existence. And so when people do acknowledge it, im so appreciative. I say, oh, thank you for and even if im crying, theyre like, im sorry i made you cry. Im like, no, you didnt make me cry. You brought him back. David wheeler its like having him back for a minute. Francine wheeler yeah. Pelley the wheelers wanted another child, a sibling for their oldest, and almost two years after ben was killed, Matthew Bennett wheeler was born. David wheeler you try to make the world into the place you want it to be, and many times the only area you have any control over is the Square Footage of your own house. And so, you do what you can. Pelley David Wheeler is a songwriter and recently, at a vigil against gun violence, francine sang, leave a light on. You know im going to leave Francine Wheeler you know i will leave a light on. Because you always look for your home after this kind of craziness that happens to you. Where is your home . And he leaves that light on so that i can have a home in my heart for him. Pelley at that vigil, we met hannah davino. Her sister rachel was a therapist in ben wheelers class. Hannah davino she died standing her ground between evil and innocence. Pelley growing up, her big sister had been the strong one in a troubled home, and so davino says she lives today in purgatory not quite the present. Davino a lot of it is because i feel guilty for being alive and happy when my sisters dead. Pelley rachel was your stability. Davino yes, she was. She really was. Pelley you know, i wonder, when you hear of the next shooting, how does that affect you . Davino i go back to my day one. I go back to 12 14, not knowing where my sister was, looking for her. And you see people getting that reuniting hug, and that breaks my heart, because i wish i got that hug. And then you see the people that are really distraught, because theyre in this club now. Pelley nicole, how would you describe the change in yourself . Hockley you couldnt be any more different from the confident, optimistic, happygo lucky type person i was beforehand. Pelley you have poured yourself into this so completely. Hockley yes. Pelley have you given yourself time to grieve . Hockley no. No. Im working on that right now. This is kind of my year, that im feeling is, its time, you know, to start finding myself again. But also to accept that no matter what i do, i cant get dylan back. Pelley jimmy greene summons his daughters memory through his music. His album about ana grace was nominated for two grammys. Nelba greene i do think this is how we reach kids. Pelley Nelba Marquez greene is a therapist, and she has started the ana grace project to educate teachers about mental health. You mentioned your faith and i wonder how your faith may have changed in all of this . Nelba greene one of the most compelling sermons ive ever heard was given at my daughters funeral. It was just a beautiful sermon. It talks about jesus being with us in every season of our lives, including the winter, and that anas death would signify the beginning of a long and hard winter season. And that winter would be made better with faith and family and friends. And i still feel that way. I really do. Pelley is it springtime yet . Nelba greene i cant imagine a day that it will be spring. The moment im reunited with her, i want to hear two things, i want to hear, well done, my good and faithful servant. And i want to hear, hi, mom. wind chimes pelley Sandy Hook Elementary School was demolished and rebuilt, much like the families themselves changed, yet in the same place. What do you say to a parent who has lost a child . Scott pelley on what he learned in newtown at 60minutesovertime. Com. Sponsored by prevnar 13. My friends think doing this at my age is scary. I say not if you protect yourself. What is scary . Pneumococcal pneumonia. Its a serious disease. 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And markets continue to rise and fall. Predictable is one thing you need in retirement to help protect what youve earned and ensure it lasts. Introducing brighthouse financial. A new company established by metlife to specialize in annuities life insurance. Talk to your advisor about a brighter financial future. So we sent that sample i doff to ancestry. I was from ethnically. My ancestry dna results are that i am 26 nigerian. I am just trying to learn as much as i can about my culture. I put the gele on my head and i looked into the mirror and i was trying not to cry. Because its a hat, but its like the most important hat ive ever owned. Discover the story only your dna can tell. Order your kit now at ancestrydna. Com. Cooper in the past year, hundreds of people accused of crimes in new orleans have been stuck in jail, defenseless denied their constitutional right to a lawyer. Its happening because the citys public defenders, attorneys who are supposed to represent those who cant afford private lawyers, have been staging a kind of protest. They say they are so overworked and underfunded, they dont have the time or resources to defend their clients properly, so they have been refusing to represent people charged with some of the most serious crimes rapes, robberies, and murder. The man who made this startling decision is the chief public defender Derwyn Bunton. He says he didnt have a choice because the criminal Justice System in america is so broken, its become just a criminal Processing System. What does that mean, a Processing System . Derwyn bunton think about i love lucy. They have that, that famous scene where she and ethel are trying to wrap chocolates, and their job is grab the chocolates, and wrap them, then get em back on the conveyor belt. Our criminal Justice System has become something of a conveyor belt, that starts with you arrested, and then theres hands that touch you on the way to prison. It is not about figuring out, at any point, your innocence. Should you even be on this conveyor belt, no matter what you did . Cooper thats a pretty frightening picture you paint. I mean, thats not a Justice System. Thats a system sending people to prison. Bunton and thats what were fighting to change. Cooper Derwyn Bunton has been head of the new Orleans Public Defenders Office for the last eight years. The 52 lawyers on his staff are responsible for representing more than 20,000 people a year who are unable to afford a private attorney. How do 50 attorneys handle 22,000 cases . Bunton you do your best. But a lot of times you cant provide the kind of representation that the constitution, our code of ethics and professional standards would have you provide. Cooper it was a year ago in january that bunton announced his public defenders would no longer take on any felony cases in which defendants were facing a possible life in prison. That left hundreds waiting in jail without lawyers. Isnt having a busy public defender better than languishing in jail without any kind of attorney . Bunton no. No, a lawyer, poorly resourced, can cause irreparable harm to a client. Cooper we sat down with nine current and former new orleans public defenders who all admit they simply do not have the time or the budget to adequately represent all their clients. How many of you believe that an innocent client went to jail because you didnt have enough time to spend on their case . All of you. You feel youve all had that experience . Brandi we simply dont have the time. We dont have the money. We dont have the attention to be able to give to every single person. Cooper its not for lack of skill. Sarah chervinsky went to yale and won an award for best young trial lawyer in the country. Sarah chervinsky a lot of us went to law schools with good criminal defense, you know, clinics. We come into this job being told, like, heres what you do to investigate. Heres how often you visit your client. And as soon as you start working, you realize the gap between what you should be doing and what you can do. Stephen hanlon its unethical. Its unconstitutional. The judges know it, the prosecutors know it, the Bar Association knows it and it has to come to an end. Cooper Stephen Hanlon is general counsel for the National Association for public defense. Hes just concluded a study in conjunction with the american Bar Association finding Louisiana Public defenders are handling nearl