Wrongful Convictions Topic of UW Panel Discussion Sept. 17

Postconviction testing and wrongful conviction in Wyoming are part of a panel discussion Monday, Sept. 17, at the University of Wyoming.

“DNA and the Pursuit of Justice” will be presented from 5-7 p.m. in Room 186 of the UW College of Law. The event is open to the public, and refreshments will be available after the program.

The panel will explore the anatomy of a wrongful conviction, the making of an exoneration and the pathway from prison back to society. The panel will discuss the leading causes of wrongful convictions and how innocence organizations uncover these miscarriages of justice and then litigate the cases back into court, seeking exoneration for innocent prisoners.

Andrew Johnson, of Cheyenne, who was facing a life sentence for a 1989 rape conviction, will share his story of wrongful conviction to actual innocence. Through DNA testing, he was freed in 2013, after serving 24 years in prison. Johnson will discuss his case along with Jensie Anderson, founder of the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center, and Jennifer Springer, the center’s managing attorney.

Two of the founding members of the Wyoming Pathways from Prison project -- Susan Dewey and Alec Muthig -- will discuss the program that provides high-quality college courses to incarcerated women and men at no cost through UW volunteers. It’s a collaborative effort with the Wyoming Department of Corrections.

Dewey is an associate professor in UW’s School of Culture, Gender and Social Justice, and Muthig is UW’s information technology trainer and program manager.

Lauren McLane, faculty director of UW’s Defender Aid Clinic, also will be among the panelists.

The Rocky Mountain Innocence Center, UW College of Law, the Potter Law Club and Wyoming Law Students for Equal Justice sponsor the program.

For more information, call Christine Reed, College of Law communications director, at (307) 766-6562 or email christine.reed@uwyo.edu.