OIP program examines the inequities surrounding women and exonerations
Event Information (passed)
There have been over 3,000 exonerations in the United States, but less than 10% of those are cases in which women were wrongfully convicted. Many have asked why and what can be done about it. To examine this issue, the Ohio Innocence Project at Cincinnati Law is hosting the program “Women and Wrongful Conviction: How Women Are Imprisoned For Crimes They Do Not Commit”. The program will be held 6:00 pm, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, in Room 170 of the College of Law (2925 Campus Green Drive on UC’s campus). It can also be accessed online via Zoom. CLE: 1.0 hours approved for OH and KY. It is free and open to the public; registration is requested.
“Women and Wrongful Conviction: How Women Are Imprisoned For Crimes They Do Not Commit” explores the ways in which women are wrongfully convicted and how those convictions differ greatly from cases involving men. It examines the unique challenges that cases involving innocent women pose for counsel providing post-conviction advocacy. Featured speakers include exonerated women Tonia Miller, convicted of killing her baby as a result of Shaken Baby syndrome and exonerated after 18 years in prison; Kim Hoover, convicted of the murder of child she was caring for as a result of Shaken Baby syndrome and exonerated after more than 17 years in prison; and Nancy Smith, a Head Start bus driver wrongfully convicted of child sexual abuse who served 15 years before gaining her freedom from prison in 2009 and exoneration in 2022. They will be joined by freed woman Angela Garcia, convicted of arson that led to the death of her two children. After nearly 20 years fighting to prove her innocence, Garcia accepted a plea deal which reduced her sentence to 22 years and led to her release this year.
The program will include a panel discussion led by attorney participants:
- Jianing Xie, Staff Attorney, Women’s Defense Initiative, Center for Wrongful Convictions, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
- Joanna Sanchez, Director, Wrongful Conviction Project, Office of the Ohio Public Defender
- Kate Flexter, Rosenthal Post- Graduate Fellow, The Ohio Innocence Project
Special thanks to Friends of OIP for their support:
Barbara J. Howard Company, LPA
Dinsmore & Shohl
Katz Teller
Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP/ The Estabrook Trust
Procter & Gamble Legal
Rittgers & Rittgers
Ropes & Gray
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