Academics

Symposium to focus on wrongful juvenile convictions, flaws within legal system

April 9 Dickinson Law Review symposium registration open to faculty, staff, students and public

CARLISLE, Pa — Dickinson Law Review will virtually present “Wrongful Convictions: Pursuing Justice for Juveniles and Correcting a Flawed System,” beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday, April 9. Experts will highlight issues such as false guilty pleas, the misuse of statistics, and the unpleasant disparities that juveniles face when they are forced through the current legal framework. Juveniles are more likely to be wrongfully convicted than adults, but experts can rely on evidence to implement positive systemic changes.

Advance registration is required here.

Each year, the Dickinson Law Review symposium brings together stakeholders in the legal community — including practitioners, academics, jurists, and law students — for scholarly dialogue about forthcoming or recently published articles.

Presentations and speakers include:

9 to 9:30 a.m. — Welcome

Opening remarks, including a primer on wrongful juvenile convictions and flaws within the legal system, will be delivered by Dickinson Law Review Editor in Chief McKay Lewis (class of 2021), Dickinson Law Review Symposium Executive Editor Anthony Fanucci (class of 2021), and Dickinson Law Dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law Danielle M. Conway.

9:30 to 10 a.m. — "The 'Innocence Penalty': Is it More Pronounced for Juveniles?"

Presented by Nilam A. Sanghvi, legal director, Pennsylvania Innocence Project, and adjunct professor of law, Penn State Dickinson Law; and Elizabeth A. DeLosa, managing attorney, Pennsylvania Innocence Project at Duquesne University School of Law.

10 to 11 a.m. — "Characteristics of Juvenile False Guilty Pleas"

Presented by Allison D. Redlich, professor of criminology, law and society at George Mason University.

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — "Young, Black, and Wrongfully Charged: A Cumulative Disadvantage Framework"

Presented by Emily Haney-Caron, graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Graduate Center, the City University of New York, and diirector, Youth Law & Psychology Lab; and Erika Fountain, graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and director, Youth Justice Lab.

12:30 to 1:30 p.m. — "The Absence or Misuse of Statistics in Forensic Science as a Contributor to Wrongful Convictions"

Presented by Keith A. Findley, professor of law, University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School.

1:30 p.m. — Closing remarks

This program has been approved by the PA Continuing Legal Education Board for 3.0 hours of substantive credit and 1.0 hour of ethics credit.

Founded in 1897 as The Forum, the Dickinson Law Review is one of the oldest legal journals in the nation and is the flagship publication of Dickinson Law. It is a student-run journal that serves the legal community by presenting analysis and commentary on relevant topics. Issues contain articles, essays and book reviews by leading professors, judges and practitioners from around the country and the world.

Dickinson Law Review also publishes student-authored comments that provide timely and original analyses of recent developments in the law. In addition, the editorial board organizes symposia and hosts scholarly dialogues with authors to discuss forthcoming or recently published articles.

Last Updated March 24, 2021

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