The criminal justice system is undeniably broken. Our system of mass incarceration does not serve justice, does not promote public safety and disproportionately harms communities of color. Over policing, overly zealous prosecutions, the imposition of unnecessarily long sentences, and the longstanding culture of denying parole to individuals who have served their sentences have led us to this point. The Loyola Project for the Innocent brought together pioneering attorneys, forensic experts, activists and formerly incarcerated people to discuss needed reforms and strategies for advancing toward a system that promotes public safety and addresses the system's many inequities. Panelists also addressed wrongful convictions and the role of forensics in the courtroom, from wrongfully convicting innocent people to helping set them free.
From Arrest to Parole: Public Safety Through a Social Justice Lens
September 18, 2020
Panel
Keith Wattley, Executive Director, UnCommon Law
Robin Steinberg, CEO, The Bail Project
Adnan Khan, Executive Director, Re:Store Justice
Moderator: Sean Kennedy, Executive Director, Center for Juvenile Law & Policy, LMU Loyola Law School
Keynote
Larry Krasner, Philadelphia District Attorney in conversation with Geneviéve Jones-Wright, Founding Executive Director of Community Advocates for Just and Moral Governance
Faulty Forensics and Wrongful Convictions: Challenging Dubious Science in Criminal Cases
September 25, 2020
Panel
Dr. Katherine Roberts, Executive Director, California Forensic Science Institute
Anna Vasquez, Outreach and Education Director, Innocence Project of Texas
Lynn Robitaille Garcia, General Counsel, Texas Forensic Science Commission
Jarrett Adams, Attorney, Author and Exoneree
Moderator: Mehul Anjaria, Founder, MBA DNA Consulting, LLC
Keynote
Amanda Knox, Exoneree, Author, and Journalist, in conversation with Jarrett Adams, Attorney, Author and Exoneree
Identifying and Correcting Wrongful Convictions: The Path Forward
October 2, 2020
Panel
Patricia Cummings, Supervisor, Philadelphia District Attorney's Conviction Integrity Unit
Marissa Bluestine, Assistant Director, Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice
George Gascon, District Attorney Candidate, Los Angeles County
Jackie Lacey, District Attorney, Los Angeles County (Invited)