EPIC Annual Conference

This year’s Emory Law Public Interest Committee (EPIC’s) conference is taking place this Saturday, October 5, at Emory Law! We are excited for a day of engaging discussions, panels, and presentations surrounding this year’s topic: Inequity and Civil Rights in Secondary Education.

The conference will feature speakers such as Kim Bearden (The Ron Clark Academy), April England-Albright (U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights), Kandis Wood Jackson and Jason Esteves (Atlanta Board of Education), Matt Westmoreland and Antonio Brown (Atlanta City Council), Michelle Gopman (Attorney, Juvenile Division of the DeKalb County Public Defender), and Aarti Sharma (Georgia Charter Schools Association).

All members of the greater metro-Atlanta community are welcome to attend free of charge. Please RSVP for more information regarding this event:
https://emorylaw.wufoo.com/forms/inequity-and-civil-rights-in-secondary-education/

Registration for attendees begins at 9:30. CLE Credit is available. Lunch will be provided with gluten-free and vegetarian options available.

Reception immediately following.

Facebook event available:
https://www.facebook.com/events/505462066666196/

Hey all! We heard some extremely insightful comments from our panel on mistake in wrongful convictions!

Here’s two great quotes:
“It’s a misconception that law is somehow equal... that there is equal justice across the board.” (Cyntoria Johnson, on the misconceptions surrounding convictions)

“The thing you can’t lose sight of is the human victim here... they’ve been in prison for decades sometimes... it is an experience none of us, unless wrongfully convicted, will never understand the intensity of.” (Dean Jessica Gabel Cino, on the impact of mistake/wrongful convictions on the accused)

Here’s how to find more information on some of the topics mentioned:
Show Up Identifications:
https://californiainnocenceproject.org/issues-we-face/eyewitness-identification/

John White’s Story:
https://www.innocenceproject.org/cases/john-jerome-white/

Houston Crime Lab Scandal:
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Scores-of-cases-affected-after-HPD-Crime-Lab-5562835.php

Boston Crime Lab Scandal:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/epic-drug-lab-scandal-results-more-20-000-convictions-dropped-n747891

Chicago False Confession Scandal:
http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/chicago_police_false_confessions

The Disparity in DNA Statistics:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/21/opinion/the-dangers-of-dna-testing.html

Larry Krasner, the new Philadelphia DA who ran on a platform of lowering incarceration:
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4415817-Philadelphia-DA-Larry-Krasner-s-Revolutionary-Memo.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/how-prosecutors-can-help-end-mass-incarceration-larry-krasner-podcast-ncna890126

And remember, “you have a power to be the voice for the voiceless.” (Dean Jessica Grabel Cino)