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Conference Brings Together National Innocence Movement Leaders
Barry Scheck Among Weekend Panel of Scholars
San Diego, Calif., Jan. 18, 2002 - National leaders in the innocence move=
ment will convene today at California Western School of Law for this year=
's National Innocence Projects Conference (Jan. 18-20), discussing strate=
gies for changing the criminal justice system to protect the innocent and=
the progress they have already made toward that goal around the nation. =
Other topics include:
- Innocence Commissions
- Eyewitness Reforms
- Post-Conviction Innocence Statutes
- Innocence Legislative Agenda
- Death Penalty Reforms
- Confession Reform
- Jailhouse Snitch Reform
"As unfortunate as it is, we have to understand there are innocent p=
eople in prison," said Justin Brooks, director of the California Inn=
ocence Project at California Western School of Law in San Diego. "Th=
e 'burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt' is not 100 percent. Some pe=
ople slip by." The conference opens Friday, Jan. 18, at 5:30 p.m., w=
ith Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld - founders of the first innocence proj=
ect at Cardozo School of Law in New York - who will discuss the past, pre=
sent, and future of the innocence movement, after Herman Atkins, a Califo=
rnia man who served 12 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted o=
f assault and rape, opens the conference. Other speakers confirmed for th=
e weekend include Justin Brooks and Jan Stiglitz of the California Innoce=
nce Project at California Western School of Law; James Lockyer of the Ass=
ociation in Defense of the Wrongfully Convicted; Jennifer Friedman of the=
Los Angeles Public Defender's Office; Seth Rodner of the New England Inn=
ocence Project; Keith Findley and John Pray of the University of Wisconsi=
n Innocence Project; Kathy Swedlow of the Michigan Innocence Project; Kat=
e Jones of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; Adele Be=
rnard of Pace University; Richard Leo of the University of California, Ir=
vine; Larry Marshall and Rob Warden of the Center for Wrongful Conviction=
s; Peter Loge of the Justice Project; Linda Starr of the Northern Califor=
nia Innocence Project; Jacqueline McMurtrie of the University of Washingt=
on; Carmella Simoncini of Appellate Defenders, Inc.; and Vanessa Potkin o=
f Cardozo School of Law.
"We can all learn so much from each other, and we need to work toget=
her on national problems that lead to the incarceration of the innocent,&=
quot; Brooks said. "This conference will provide the opportunity for=
all the innocence project directors to share their experiences, and at t=
he same time encourage others who are interested in freeing the innocent.=
"
Scheck and Neufeld started the Cardozo School of Law Innocence Project in=
1992. Since then, the work of their project has led to the exoneration d=
ozens of prisoners and the development of innocence projects across the c=
ountry as well as in Canada and Australia.
The California Innocence Project was established in September 2000 at Cal=
ifornia Western School of Law. Students who are selected for this six-cre=
dit pro bono course work alongside practicing criminal defense lawyers to=
seek the release of wrongfully convicted prisoners in California. The la=
w students assist in the investigation of cases where there is strong evi=
dence of innocence, write briefs in those cases, and advocate in all appr=
opriate forums for the release of the project's clients. The primary goal=
of the project is to seek any and all ethical and legal avenues for the =
release of the wrongfully convicted. Since its establishment, the Califor=
nia Innocence Project has received more than 1,400 cases and presently re=
ceives 200 cases per month. The 12 law students participating in the year=
long course at California Western are assigned 17 cases each.
Additional information about the National Innocence Projects Conference i=
s available online at www.CaliforniaWestern.edu in the "Innocence Pr=
oject" section.
California Western -- ###
Contact:
Franki Fitterer
Media Relations Coordinator
Office: (619) 515-1545
Mobile: (619) 306-0282
fjf@cwsl.edu
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