“Freeing someone set to die in a cage is surreal. I've had the opportunity to give 18 people a chance for a new lease of life, and there's always a singular moment when the media stop asking questions and there are no more cameras when these men and women have to get on with their lives. But it's not enough just to get people out of prison. We have to do something with the information we learn about why they went there in the first place to change the system. We have to try to make sure that what happened to my clients and others who have been wrongfully convicted doesn't happen to anyone else.”
— Seth Miller, executive director of the Innocence Project of Florida and president of the Innocence Network, presented “Innocence Lost: Finding Justice and Freedom for the Wrongfully Convicted” at the Penn State Forum on Dec. 8 at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center.
Miller, who earned his undergraduate degree at Penn State and law degree from Florida State University, is president of the Innocence Network, an affiliation of more than 70 organizations around the U.S. and world that provide pro bono legal and investigative services to individuals seeking to prove they have been wrongfully convicted. As executive director of the Innocence Project of Florida, Miller litigates post-conviction innocence cases, oversees the internship program, and speaks to students, lawyers and community groups on issues related to wrongful convictions.
Miller also is an adjunct professor at the Florida State University College of Law and serves as chair of the steering committee for the American Bar Association (ABA) Death Penalty Due Process Review Project. Before joining the Innocence Project of Florida, he was an attorney with the ABA Death Penalty Moratorium Implementation Project in Washington, D.C., and the First District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee, Florida.
During his presentation, Miller shared his experiences advocating for those who have been imprisoned for crimes they didn't commit, helping individuals reintegrate into society, the criminal justice system in Florida and the U.S., forensic science and DNA exoneration, and more.
Launched in 1996, the Penn State Forum Speaker Series is designed to introduce the University community to noted leaders and policymakers in their respective fields. Open to the public, tickets are $21 for each event and include a buffet lunch, followed by remarks from the distinguished speaker. For more information about the series and a list of future speakers, visit sites.psu.edu/forum.