Faces of Wrongful Conviction Conference
The Faces of Wrongful Conviction Conference is a comprehensive event dedicated to examining the flaws within California's criminal justice system, particularly focusing on wrongful convictions and the death penalty. Organized by an ad-hoc coalition of groups, including California People of Faith Working Against the Death Penalty, the Life After Exoneration Program, Amnesty International, Death Penalty Focus, Progressive Jewish Alliance, and the ACLU of Northern California, the conference brings together a diverse array of voices to shed light on these critical issues.
Key topics covered during the conference include personal accounts from exonerees detailing their experiences of wrongful imprisonment, discussions by murder victims' family members, insights from former prosecutors, and analyses by national experts on the systemic failures leading to wrongful convictions. The event also delves into the biases and errors that contribute to these injustices, aiming to foster a deeper understanding and drive reform within the justice system.
Attendees have the opportunity to engage in networking sessions, attend presentations by notable speakers such as Stuart Banner, Professor of Law at UCLA, and Frank R. Baumgartner, Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Penn State University. These sessions provide a platform for meaningful dialogue and collaboration among legal professionals, advocates, and community members committed to justice reform.
This conference is essential for legal practitioners, policymakers, scholars, and anyone interested in criminal justice reform. It offers a unique chance to hear firsthand accounts from those affected by wrongful convictions and to participate in discussions aimed at preventing future injustices within the legal system.
Speakers(49)
Alejandro
Legal Professional at California Appellate Project
Alejandro works at the California Appellate Project in San Francisco, running the Unrepresented Condemned Inmate Project.
Ashley Ratliff
Dual Degree Candidate at California Western School of Law and San Diego State University
Ashley Ratliff is completing a dual degree program to earn her Juris Doctor and a Master's of Social Work, focusing on the experience of wrongfully convicted individuals transitioning back into society.
Barry Fisher
Crime Lab Director at Los Angeles County Sheriff's Crime Lab
Barry Fisher began his career with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Crime Lab in 1969 and was promoted to lab director in 1987.
Bryan A. Stevenson
Executive Director at Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama
Bryan A. Stevenson is the Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama and Professor of Law at New York University School of Law.
Cheryl Ward-Kaiser
Advocate at Victim-Offender Reconciliation Group
Cheryl Ward-Kaiser is an advocate for inmate rehabilitation and works in a victim-offender reconciliation group.
Cookie Ridolfi
Executive Director at Northern California Innocence Project
Cookie Ridolfi is the Executive Director of the Northern California Innocence Project and a Professor at Santa Clara University School of Law.
Craig Haney
Professor of Psychology at University of California, Santa Cruz
Craig Haney is Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, studying the backgrounds of people accused or convicted of capital crimes.
Daniel S. Medwed
Associate Professor of Law at University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law
Daniel S. Medwed is an associate professor of law at the University of Utah, specializing in wrongful convictions and appellate practice.
Denny LeBoeuf
Attorney at Louisiana
Denny LeBoeuf has been representing clients facing death since 1989, working in state and federal courts primarily in Louisiana.
Diann Rust-Tierney
Executive Director at National Campaign to Abolish the Death Penalty
Diann Rust-Tierney is the Executive Director of the National Campaign to Abolish the Death Penalty and former director of the ACLU's Capital Punishment Project.
Elisabeth Semel
Director at Death Penalty Clinic at UC Berkeley (Boalt Hall)
Elisabeth Semel is Director of the Death Penalty Clinic at UC Berkeley and a member of the faculty at Boalt Hall.
Ellen Eggers
Attorney at Office of the State Public Defender in Sacramento
Ellen Eggers is an attorney at the Office of the State Public Defender in Sacramento.
Eric Greene
Policy Assistant at American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California
Eric Greene is a policy assistant for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, working on criminal justice and death penalty issues.
Francisco Lobaco
Director at American Civil Liberties Union Legislative Office
Francisco Lobaco is the director of the American Civil Liberties Union Legislative Office and serves as the chief lobbyist for the three California affiliates of the ACLU.
Frank R. Baumgartner
Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Penn State University
Frank R. Baumgartner is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Penn State University, focusing on public policy, agenda-setting, and interest groups in American politics.
Fredric N. Tulsky
Journalist at San Jose Mercury News
Fredric N. Tulsky is a journalist who has undertaken projects involving injustice for the past 30 years.
Gloria Romero
Senate Majority Leader at California Legislature
Gloria Romero is the highest-ranking woman in the California Legislature and serves as Senate Majority Leader.
Ira Reiner
Former District Attorney at Los Angeles
Ira Reiner was elected district attorney of Los Angeles in 1984 and has served in various public offices.
Janice Brickley
Supervising Attorney at Northern California Innocence Project at GGU School of Law
Janice Brickley has practiced criminal law as both a trial and appellate attorney and joined the Northern California Innocence Project in 2003.
Jeff Chinn
Assistant Director/Case Manager at California Innocence Project at California Western School of Law
Jeff Chinn is Assistant Director/Case Manager at the California Innocence Project, responsible for daily case management and supervision of staff and law students.
Jon Eldan
Legal Director at Life After Exoneration Program
Jon Eldan is the Legal Director for the Life After Exoneration Program, coordinating pro bono legal services for exonerees.
Kenneth W. Starr
Dean and Professor of Law at Pepperdine Law School
Kenneth W. Starr is Dean and Professor of Law at Pepperdine Law School and has served in various governmental roles including Solicitor General of the United States.
Lawrence C. Marshall
Professor of Law at Stanford Law School
Lawrence C. Marshall is Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and co-founder of the Center on Wrongful Convictions.
Linda Carter
Professor of Law and Director of the Criminal Justice Concentration at McGeorge School of Law
Linda Carter is Professor of Law and Director of the Criminal Justice Concentration at McGeorge School of Law, specializing in criminal law and procedure.
Lola Vollen, M.D., MPH
Physician at Voice of Witness/VoiceBox Series
Lola Vollen is a physician specializing in helping communities that emerge in the aftermath of large-scale human rights abuses and social injustice.
Lynne Coffin
Attorney at Law Offices of Coffin & Love
Lynne Coffin began practicing criminal law in San Francisco in 1986 and formed the Law Offices of Coffin & Love in 1995, representing death row inmates on appeal.
Lynne Weathered
Director at Griffith University Innocence Project
Lynne Weathered is the co-founder and Director of the Griffith University Innocence Project, working on behalf of the wrongly convicted across Australia.
Melissa Broome
Liturgical Studies Graduate at University of Notre Dame
Melissa Broome holds a Master's degree in Liturgical Studies from the University of Notre Dame and works at Most Holy Trinity Church in the Diocese of San Jose.
Michael Schill
Dean and Professor of Law at UCLA Law School
Michael Schill is Dean of UCLA Law School and a national expert on real estate and housing policy.
Mike Farrell
President at Death Penalty Focus
Mike Farrell is best known for his role in the television series M*A*S*H and serves as the President of Death Penalty Focus.
Rachel Dioso
Doctoral Student at University of California, Irvine
Rachel Dioso is a doctoral student at the University of California, Irvine, studying public attitudes towards scientific identification evidence in the courtroom.
Ramona Ripston
Executive Director at ACLU of Southern California
Ramona Ripston has served as the executive director of the ACLU of Southern California since August of 1972.
Richard A. Leo
Associate Professor at University of San Francisco School of Law
Richard A. Leo is an associate professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law, specializing in police interrogation practices and false confessions.
Richard Berk
Professor at Department of Statistics at UCLA
Richard Berk is a professor in the Department of Statistics at UCLA and an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Richard C. Dieter
Executive Director at Death Penalty Information Center
Richard C. Dieter has served as the Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, DC, since 1992.
Rory K. Little
Professor of Law at UC Hastings
Rory K. Little is Professor of Law at UC Hastings, with experience as Associate Deputy Attorney General and Chief of the Appellate Section in the U.S. Attorney's office.
Sam D. Millsap, Jr.
Attorney at Texas
Sam D. Millsap Jr. has been litigating civil and criminal cases in state and federal court since 1987.
Samuel R. Gross
Thomas and Mabel Long Professor of Law at University of Michigan
Samuel R. Gross is the Thomas and Mabel Long Professor of Law at the University of Michigan, teaching evidence law and criminal procedure.
Sean K. Kennedy
Federal Public Defender at Central District of California
Sean K. Kennedy was appointed as federal public defender for the Central District of California on March 23, 2006.
Stephen Bright
President and Senior Counsel at Southern Center for Human Rights
Stephen Bright is president and senior counsel for the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta and teaches at Harvard and Yale Law Schools.
Stephen F. Rohde
Constitutional Lawyer and Writer at ACLU of Southern California
Stephen F. Rohde is a constitutional lawyer, writer, and past President of the ACLU of Southern California.
Stuart Banner
Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law
Stuart Banner is a Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law and author of 'The Death Penalty: An American History' and 'How the Indians Lost Their Land: Law and Power on the Frontier'.
Susan Garvey
Attorney at Habeas Corpus Resource Center
Susan Garvey received a JD from University of California Davis Law School and has been with the Habeas Corpus Resource Center since 1999.
Susan Rutberg
Professor at Santa Clara University School of Law
Susan Rutberg is a Professor at Santa Clara University School of Law and specializes in criminal law and procedure.
Timothy J. Foley
Assistant Federal Defender at Sacramento
Timothy J. Foley is an Assistant Federal Defender in Sacramento specializing in capital habeas cases.
Vera Ramirez-Crutcher
Advocate at Death Penalty Focus
Vera Ramirez-Crutcher is an advocate for inmate rehabilitation and a member of Death Penalty Focus.
Virginia E. Sloan
President at Constitution Project
Virginia E. Sloan founded the Constitution Project in 1997 and serves as its President.
William C. Thompson
Professor at Department of Criminology, Law & Society at University of California, Irvine
William C. Thompson is a professor at the University of California, Irvine, focusing on scientific evidence and forensic DNA testing.
William Genego
Partner at Nasatir Hirsch et al
William Genego is a partner at the firm of Nasatir Hirsch et al in Santa Monica and has successfully won freedom for two of California's exonerees.