New research initiatives funded by the NC Collaboratory aim to improve care, reduce criminalization, and support successful reentry The Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law is pleased to announce three major research projects examining the intersection of mental health and the criminal legal system in North Carolina. These projects are part of a broader coalition of […]
Category: Homepage News
Watching Closely: Research Assistant Anya Milberg on Bail, Oversight, and Her Work with the Wilson Center
The Case That Started It All In 2016, a woman named Maranda ODonnell was stopped by police while driving to pick up her four-year-old daughter. The charge was driving with a suspended license. A Harris County judge set her bail at $2,500. She couldn’t pay it. She sat in jail, not because she posed any […]
Recap: Novel Justice with Homer Venters
Outbreak Behind Bars Earlier this year, the Wilson Center for Science and Justice, in partnership with Duke Law’s Health Justice Clinic and the Duke Decarceration Project, welcomed Dr. Homer Venters for a powerful conversation in our Novel Justice Series, highlighting his latest book, Outbreak Behind Bars: Spider Bites, Human Rights, and the Unseen Danger to […]
Wilson Center for Science and Justice Updates DNA Exonerations Database, Adding 80 Cases
Expanded resource now includes 455 DNA exonerations and new findings on false confessions, cited by practitioners nationwide The Wilson Center for Science and Justice has released a major update to its DNA Exonerations Database, adding 80 new cases and bringing the total number of documented DNA exonerations in the United States to 455. The update […]
Reentry Success in North Carolina Is Closely Linked to the Timing and Continuity of Support
New report demonstrates how early planning, peer support, and location shape reentry success A new report from the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law draws on more than a dozen in-depth interviews with formerly incarcerated individuals across North Carolina to uncover the real experiences of people returning from prison and where the […]
New Database Documents a Century of Court Decisions on Forensic Expert Evidence Testimony
The Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law is excited to announce the launch of a new public resource: the Forensic Expert Evidence Database, a searchable collection of court decisions addressing when and how forensic expert testimony is admitted in criminal cases. The database brings together reported decisions from courts across all fifty states […]
Life on Hold: The Real Impact of Driver’s License Suspensions
Announcing a New Webinar Series Life on Hold: The Real Impact of Driver’s License Suspensions Life on Hold is a three-part webinar series examining how driver’s license suspensions in North Carolina reverberate far beyond the roadway. In our state, if someone fails to pay a fine for a traffic infraction or does not show up […]
Paul R. Genender Joins Advisory Board of the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law
The Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law School is pleased to announce that Paul R. Genender (Duke A.B. ’91, J.D. ’94) has joined the Center’s Advisory Board. Genender is a partner at Paul Hastings LLP, where he serves as co-chair of the firm’s Complex Litigation and Arbitration practice, chair of the Texas […]
North Carolina Technical Assistance Center Releases Diversion Handbook
A guide for communities implementing diversion programs connecting people to substance use services instead of incarceration Across North Carolina, communities are rethinking how they respond to low-level, non-violent offenses related to substance use—and a new handbook is here to help. We’re excited to share the launch of Pre-Arrest Diversion in North Carolina: A Handbook for Law […]
Event Recap: The Alabama Solution Screening and Talkback
(L-R) Vivian Sekandi, Craig Waleed, Daquan Peters, and Samantha Richter at the screening of The Alabama Solution Last month, we were privileged to partner with the Duke Justice Project, Duke’s undergraduate group focused on advancing criminal justice, to host a screening and talkback of HBO’s The Alabama Solution. The film exposes abuses and neglect in […]