The Innocent Man and wrongful convistions in America.
Rebecca Brown, policy advocate for the New York-based Innocence Project, spoke at OCU LAW’s Alumni & Friends Nov. 17 luncheon held in conjunction with the Oklahoma Bar Association’s annual meeting. The luncheon was held from 12 to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at The Summit, located at 15 W. 6th Street in Tulsa. Brown’s speech, Leading the Way: OCU LAW’s Role in Addressing Wrongful Convictions in Oklahoma focused on the law school’s efforts to launch the Oklahoma Innocence Clinic in the fall of 2011. Rebecca Brown joined the Innocence Project in September of 2005. She investigated police misconduct cases for the City of New York, served as a policy analyst for the NYC Mayor’s Office on juvenile justice, and was a planner at the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES), New York’s oldest and largest alternative to incarceration program. Brown graduated from Barnard College in 1997 and received a MUP in Economic and Community Development from NYU in 2002.
OCU LAW's Role in addressing wrongful convictions in Oklahoma.
At 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14 in the Homsey Family Moot Courtroom in Sarkeys Law Center, OCU LAW hosted "In Their Own Words: Oklahoma’s Exonerated Tell Their Stories." The event was co-sponsored by the law school’s American Constitution Society, the Federalist Society, and the Criminal Law Association. It featured some of Oklahoma’s exonerated individuals, innocent people who served years in prison before their innocence was established. Some of the lawyers involved in securing exonerations also will be present. David Bryson served 16 years for a crime he didn’t commit. For Dennis Fritz it was 11 years; his story, and the story of his friend and co-defendant Ron Williamson, were told in the 2006 book "The Innocent Man" by John Grisham. Curtis McCarty was an innocent man in prison for 21 years. These and other individuals will share the disturbing stories of their wrongful convictions, the inspiring stories of how they were exonerated, and the hopeful story of OCU LAW’s efforts to establish a center for the study of wrongful conviction at the law school. "These are important stories of individuals who experienced the trauma of being wrongfully convicted and the triumph of establishing their innocence," said Lawrence K. Hellman, dean of OCU LAW. "We hope that by holding this event , we’ll raise public awareness and put us on firm footing for establishing a program here."
Oklahoma's exonerated tell their stories.
Learn about Corey and Malcolm’s stories.