POLS 398 - Wrongful Convictions

Appeals and post-conviction legal actions have gained increased significance in the criminal justice system, and society at large, in more recent years. This seminar is an in-depth exploration of how criminal appeals are litigated in the American legal system, including the legal standards appellate courts use in determining whether a conviction was wrongfully obtained. The course focus includes the various bases of wrongful conviction, victims of wrongful convictions, innocence projects, and emerging laws designed to address the extraordinarily troubling problem of wrongful convictions. Students will have the chance to participate with respect to one or more of the professor’s active or recent cases, as well as others. This course is very challenging and intensive. (Limited to 15 or fewer students)

Credits 1