In this course, students will learn about systemic errors in our criminal justice system that lead to the conviction of innocent people. Students will learn about complex legal remedies available for correcting wrongful convictions and unjust sentencing. Actual cases and existing laws will be scrutinized during class. Specifically, students will learn how to identify, analyze, and develop a post-conviction innocence or sentence modification case.
Recognizing that prosecutors have a continuing, post-conviction ethical obligation to pursue justice, students will work closely with the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office’s Conviction Integrity Unit (Fulton CIU) and other offices willing to objectively review cases for claims of actual innocence or unjust sentencing. Students will be involved in the investigation and legal analysis of petitions, which may include reviewing sentencing data from district attorney offices and the Georgia Department of Corrections, reviewing agency files, reviewing trial, appellate, and post-conviction legal briefs and transcripts, conducting witness interviews and obtaining sworn statements, submitting evidence for testing or retesting, and otherwise examining and investigating the petitioner’s claims. Students will have an opportunity to hear from police, prosecutors, defenders, exonerated individuals, and other critical stakeholders affected by disparate or unjust sentences and wrongful convictions and involved in improving the accuracy and reliability of our criminal justice system.