Events

February 10, 2022 — Virginia is the most recent state to abolish the death penalty, but capital punishment is still authorized in 27 states, by the federal government and the U.S. military. There are numerous studies and advocates to point to why the death penalty should be abolished nationwide, but the people who are sentenced to death are the ones who can speak best about the true impact of such punishment. Join the Wilson Center for Science and Justice for a discussion with George Wilkerson, who is currently serving on death row in North Carolina, and Tessie Castillo, an international journalist specializing in criminal justice, drug policy, and social issues. The two were co-authors of the book, Crimson Letters, Voices from Death Row, which is a collection of personal essays from four incarcerated men, including Wilkerson.

January 26, 2022 — North Carolina Department of Justice Deputy General Counsel Daniel Mosteller and Senior Policy Counsel Steven Mange join the Wilson Center for Science and Justice to discuss the state of national litigation about opioids. In 2021 NC Attorney General Josh Stein announced a $26 billion settlement with opioid distributors and a manufacturer. Dr. Marvin Swartz moderates.

January 12, 2022 — For over a decade, Judge Leifman, Associate Administrative Judge in the Miami-Dade County Court, 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, has worked with stakeholders to reform how the criminal legal system interacts with individuals with mental illnesses. With his colleagues he has developed a unique diversion model, the "Miami Model," that is a model for reducing violence, unnecessary arrests, and inappropriate incarceration among persons with mental illness. The model encourages recovery, reduces stigma, and gives individuals hope. In this panel discussion, Judge Leifman and Justin Volpe from his program will present their approach to diversion. Dr. Marvin Swartz moderates.

November 16, 2021 — Benjamin van Rooij writes about why people obey or break the law. Adam Fine, Ph.D., is a professor of criminology and criminal justice as well as law & behavioral sciences at Arizona State University. Their book, The Behavioral Code: The Hidden Ways the Law Makes Us Better or Worse, is Freakonomics for the law-the revolutionary behavioral science insights into how the law fails to reduce misbehavior. This conversation was moderated by Jennifer Teitcher. Novel Justice is a book event series hosted by the Wilson Center for Science and Justice. We invite authors to discuss recently published criminal justice books and to engage in Q&A with faculty and students.

November 3, 2021 — Carissa Hessick is the Ransdell Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina School of Law, where she also serves as the director of the Prosecutors and Politics Project. Her book, Punishment Without Trial: Why Plea Bargaining Is a Bad Deal, a provocative and timely exploration of how plea bargaining prevents true criminal justice reform and how we can fix it. Moderated by Brandon Garrett. Sponsored by the Wilson Center for Science and Justice. Novel Justice is a book event series hosted by the Wilson Center for Science and Justice. We invite authors to discuss recently published criminal justice books and to engage in Q&A with faculty and students.

November 1, 2021 — Journalism is one of the most powerful mediums in storytelling, education and shining a light on systemic injustices. Criminal justice reporting, in particular, can be crucial to bridging a gap between those who have experienced the system and those who have not. Journalists covering this beat educate the masses about complex legal systems and processes, and often bring to the forefront underrepresented issues. Join us for a roundtable discussion with renowned journalists who cover the criminal legal system. Speakers are Emily Bazelon, a staff writer at New York Times Magazine, author and a lecturer in law, senior research scholar in law, and Truman Capote Fellow at Yale Law School; Madeleine Baran, an investigative reporter for APM Reports and the host and lead reporter of the podcast In the Dark; Liliana Segura, an award-winning investigative journalist at The Intercept; and Carlos Ballesteros, a reporter at Injustice Watch. Moderated by Melissa Boughton. Sponsored by the Wilson Center and co-sponsored by the Criminal Law Society.

September 29, 2021 — Henry McCollum and Leon Brown were intellectually disabled teenagers (brothers) when they were coerced into confessing to a murder they didn't commit and sentenced to death. They spent 31 years in prison before DNA testing proved their innocence, and by the time of their release in 2014, Henry had served the longest death row sentence in North Carolina. Join the Wilson Center for Science and Justice for a discussion with Ken Rose, former director of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, attorney and death penalty abolitionist, and David Maxwell, a Duke Law alum ('14) and attorney at Hogan Lovells. Rose will talk about his role in helping to exonerate McCollum and Brown, and Maxwell will discuss his role in winning the largest-ever jury verdict in a wrongful conviction case for the brothers. They'll both speak about what can be learned from McCollum's and Brown's exonerations.

September 28, 2021 — David Sklansky is the Stanley Morrison Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and faculty co-director of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center. His book, A Pattern of Violence: How the Law Classifies Crimes and What It Means for Justice, reveals how inconsistent ideas about violence, enshrined in law, are at the root of the problems that plague our entire criminal justice system-from mass incarceration to police brutality.Novel Justice is a book event series hosted by the Wilson Center for Science and Justice. We invite authors to discuss recently published criminal justice books and to engage in Q&A with faculty and students.