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Join columnist Myron Medcalf, moderator JaNaé Bates, and community leaders and individuals who have been justice-impacted in a discussion of Anthony Ray Hinton’s “The Sun Does Shine.”
The Great North Innocence Project team will share more about our mission and some of our most recent cases with the residents at 7500 York Senior Coop.
Managing attorney Jim Mayer will be presenting as the keynote speaker at this year’s Ramapo Investigative Genetic Genealogy Conference.
For the 6th season, Hennepin County Library and community members will be reading The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton, a memoir about the wrongful conviction and 28-year incarceration of Mr. Hinton. The library is pleased to host Mr. Hinton in conversation with Myron Medcalf on Thursday, April 25, 6:30 p.m. at Minneapolis Central Library.
GNIP will present for the Bloomington Noon Rotary Club.
Managing attorney Jim Mayer will present to the Dakota County Law Library about the causes, consequences, and remedies of wrongful convictions. Register.
A free CLE discussing State V Johnston (Minn 2021). Moderated by managing attorney Andrew Markquart.
The Great North Innocence Project will present to the Ham & Eggs Breakfast Club in February.
2023 Benefit for Innocence
If you missed it live, check this out! https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2023/10/23/why-the-innocent-end-up-in-prison
On October 23, at 9:00am on Minnesota Public Radio, the Great North Innocence Project joins MPR host Angela Davis for a discussion of how innocent people end up wrongfully convicted for things they didn’t do. Freed and exonerated former GNIP client Mike Hansen and GNIP managing attorney James Mayer will share insights on the development and growth of the innocence movement. From its early grounding in the use of DNA to overturn wrongful convictions to the knowledge we have today about many additional known causes and consequences of wrongful convictions, the movement has come a long way, freeing over 3,300 people nationwide. As experience and knowledge have grown, we know more about the disparate impact of wrongful convictions on BIPOC people, how wrongful convictions impact lives, and how wrongful convictions can be overturned and prevented.
This August, Legal Fellow Anna McGinn and Director of Communications & Outreach Hayley Drozdowski-Poxleitner will share an inside look at innocence work with residents at The Wellington.
Hosted by the Minnesota State Law Library: Wrongful Convictions: Causes and Remedies CLE
At this year's annual BOND Luncheon, managing attorney Jim Mayer and director of communications & community outreach Hayley Drozdowski-Poxleitner will share stories from the Great North Innocence Project with attendees. Learn more.
Join co-authors of the recent Bench and Bar of Minnesota cover article, "Getting serious about prosecutorial misconduct," for a panel discussion on the state of prosecutorial misconduct in the legal field and what can and should be done to address it. 1.5 CLE ethics credits have been applied for. RSVP here.
This Spring, director of communications & community outreach Hayley Drozdowski-Poxleitner and legal fellow Anna McGinn will join the Edina Girl Scouts to teach them about innocence investigations. At the end of the session, the troop will have earned their Special Agent Badge!
On March 30, managing attorney Jim Mayer and communications & community outreach director Hayley Drozdowski-Poxleitner will share a presentation that explores the causes and consequences of wrongful convictions and how the Great North Innocence Project is remedying these errors and preventing future injustices. Open to U.S. Bank employees only.
Jim Mayer will join Professor Kate Kruse, along with students from the Mitchell Hamline Wrongful Conviction Clinic, for a panel discussion about innocence work. Open to Mitchell Hamline students only.
The Mindekirken Senior Education Group meets monthly to learn about social justice issues and Norwegian culture.
This presentation about junk science and wrongful convictions will feature managing attorney Jim Mayer and director of communications & outreach Hayley Drozdowski-Poxleitner.
USD Law students will get the opportunity to learn about the various experiential opportunities available to them, including internships and clinics with the Great North Innocence Project.
Join GN-IP, the UMN Law Criminal Justice League, the Minnesota State Bar Association Criminal Section, and the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys for a conversation with attorney, advocate, author, producer, and podcast host, Rabia Chaudry.
On Monday, November 14, the Cultural Wellness Coalition and Knudson School of Law at the University of South Dakota is hosting a screening of The Phantom about the wrongful conviction of Carlos DeLuna.
Mark your calendars for this year’s Benefit for Innocence: The Science of Justice! Join us at Quincy Hall in Minneapolis or virtually for an evening of networking, amusements, and inspiration.
Hear from GN-IP staff attorney Jim Mayer GN-IP freed client Javon Davis about the causes and consequences of wrongful convictions, the critical, collective action it takes to prove someone's innocence post-conviction, and Javon’s own experience in proving his innocence.
Staff attorney Jim Mayer is presenting at this year's Minnesota CLE Criminal Justice Institute. His breakout session will discuss the work of the Minnesota Conviction Review Unit, a partnership between the Great North Innocence Project and the Minnesota Attorney General's Office, and include a discussion of the book, Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System by Chris Fabricant and the role that "bad science" plays in wrongful convictions.
The Wrongfully Convicted & Over-Sentenced Family Council is convening organizations across the Twin Cities metro who work with and for people impacted by the criminal-legal system to share their work and investigate new ways of collaborating and working collectively to achieve common goals.
Celebrate Juneteenth in Minneapolis!
Also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, Juneteenth is one of two freedom celebrations held throughout the United States; the other is the Fourth of July. This year, Minneapolis Parks & Recreation is commemorating Juneteenth Freedom Day with an event on June 18 at Bethune Park in North Minneapolis.
A family-friendly event, the festival will include local vendors, music, stage performances, children’s activities, and great food. A parade will kickoff the event and end its route at Bethune Park at noon.
Celebrate Juneteenth with Fargo Juneteenth’s 3rd annual celebration. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in education, entertainment, virtual reality, art, and volunteerism. Cultural events like this are free and open to all members of the community. If you believe in Freedom, this event is for you.
This year's theme is Sankofa: Return and Get It. To make progress towards the future, we must return to and claim our past. It is in understanding who we were that will free us to embrace who we now are.
The event is curated by Fred’s Dissonance. Fred’s Dissonance is fiscally sponsored by The Human Family.
April 18, from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m., U of M Law School (Room 65) In-Person and Online via Zoom
CLE credit, including ethics credit, has been applied for. The event is FREE.
Registration for In-Person attendance is required. Please register HERE for in-person attendance.
For those who cannot attend in person, the discussion will be simulcast via Zoom. Please register HERE to attend via Zoom
Chris Fabricant, Director of Strategic Litigation for the Innocence Project, is touring to promote his new book, Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System. A panel of experts will discuss the book, and the role of bad forensic science, in wrongful convictions. Panelists also will discuss the work of the Minnesota Conviction Review Unit to address the problem. In addition to Mr. Fabricant, panelists will be Attorney General Keith Ellison and Lindsey Thomas, M.D. Great North Innocence Project attorney James Mayer will moderate the discussion.
Waiting with Nadine Graves and Emily Baxter: Righting Wrongs
Nadine and Emily welcome Julie Jonas and Mike Hansen from the Great North Innocence Project.
Register HERE
– Nadine T. Graves; Deputy Director of Community Legal Services at the Legal Rights Center and host of “The Waiting Room” podcast
– Emily R. Baxter; Director, We Are All Criminals
– Julie Jonas; Legal Director of the Great North Innocence Project
– Mike Hansen; Innocence Project Exoneree
Mitchell Hamline Law Review is excited to invite you to our spring symposium, Locked Up and Locked Out: Reforming Inequity in the Criminal Justice System on Friday, April 8th, 2022.
This event will be fully virtual, taking place via Zoom. There will be opportunities for continuing education and elimination of bias credits with registration.
Panels (see full schedule below) will highlight and explore the deep fissures in our criminal justice system and feature discussions with lawyers and community leaders who are making change through their representation, advocacy, and leadership. Speakers will discuss some of the most pressing issues in this space, including missing and murdered Indigenous relatives, wrongful convictions, restorative justice in practice, juvenile diversion programs, and so much more.
Join us after the symposium to hear from our Keynote Speaker, Anthony Ray Hinton. Anthony Ray Hinton survived for 30 years on Alabama’s death row. His story is a decades-long journey to exoneration and freedom. We are very thankful to Mr. Hinton for sharing his time and experiences with us.
REGISTER FOR THE SYMPOSIUM HERE. (use code “MHSL2022” for free registration; click “credit card” at the end to process the registration). Note: A small fee is required for CLE credit.
If you wish to attend without earning CLE credit, the Zoom link is: https://mitchellhamline.zoom.us/j/99053589357.
Separate registration for the free Virtual Keynote Event with Anthony Ray Hinton is required. REGISTER FOR THE VIRTUAL KEYNOTE EVENT HERE.
Symposium Schedule
8:45 am: Morning Zoom session opens
9:00 – 10:15 am: Missing & Murdered Indigenous Relatives
10:30 – 11:45 am: Wrongful Convictions featuring the Great North Innocence Project and the Minnesota Conviction Review Unit of the Attorney General’s Office
1:00 – 2:15 pm: Restorative Justice in Practice
2:30 – 3:45 pm: Juvenile Justice Diversion Programs
4:00 – 5:00 pm: Keynote Speaker Anthony Ray Hinton (separate Zoom link)
Date: Thursday, March 3, 2022
Time: 12 Noon to 2:30 p.m.
Where: Live virtual webinar via WebEx (free)
This Continuing Legal Education program will introduce participants to the concept of conviction review units (CRU), their growth around the country as a criminal justice reform effort, and what’s unique about Minnesota’s CRU. The speakers will cover the purpose and goals of the Minnesota CRU, as well as the means it has chosen to pursue those goals as set forth in the CRU charter. Participants will also learn about opportunities to support the work of Minnesota’s CRU through pro bono efforts. This program will include a thirty-minute Ethics portion as the speakers will cover ethical considerations of representing applicants to Conviction Review Units, including communications with a prosecutor's office, limited representation agreements, and attorney-client privilege waiver issues for .5 Ethics credits.
Speakers:
Carrie Sperling Assistant Attorney General, Conviction Integrity Unit
Jim Mayer, Staff Attorney, Great Northern Innocence Project
Registration: To register, click the following link:
https://minnesota.webex.com/minnesota/onstage/g.php?MTID=e2c8cc52b6cfae3f63747095ce56b4b6e
Click the “Register” button, fill out the form, then click “submit.” Once you register you will receive an email with event details.
CLE Credit: The Office has applied for a total of 2.5 CLE credits, 2.0 standard CLE credits and .5 Ethics credit, Minn. Event Code No. 443882 (pending)
Please join us in Giving Tuesday by making a donation to the Great North Innocence Project on November 30, 2021! To make a donation click HERE!
