Exonerees will tell their stories of wrongful conviction during the Western Michigan University Cooley Innocence Project panel discussion on Thursday, September 15, from noon to 2 p.m. at WMU-Cooley Law School, 300 S. Capitol Avenue in Lansing.
WMU-Cooley exonerees participating include Ken Nixon, 2021; Gilbert Poole, 2021; Corey McCall, 2021; George DeJesus (and his brother Melvin DeJesus), 2022; and Ramon Ward, 2020.
In addition to talking about the bond that exonerees have developed, the panelists will share their thoughts on causes of, and statistics surrounding wrongful convictions. During the presentation, information about the many ways individuals can help those wrongfully convicted will be made available.
The event is in honor of International Wrongful Conviction Day (October 2, 2022). Wrongful Conviction Day began as an effort of the Innocence Network, an affiliation of organizations dedicated to providing pro-bono legal and investigative services to individuals seeking to prove innocence of crimes for which they have been convicted, working to redress the causes of wrongful convictions, and supporting the exonerated after they are freed.
The WMU-Cooley Innocence Project is part of the Innocence Network which has been credited with the release of over 375 wrongfully convicted prisoners, mainly through the use of DNA testing. The WMU-Cooley Innocence Project is the only post-conviction DNA innocence organization in Michigan. Since its inception, the office has screened over 6,000 cases and is responsible for the exoneration of eight individuals.
