State Senator Rodney Ellis to Hold Summit on Wrongful Convictions

In the wake of the most recent Dallas County exoneration, State Senator Rodney Ellis has announced that he will hold a summit on wrongful convictions next week at the Texas State Capitol.  It will be held in the Senate Chamber, Thursday, May 8, from 12 noon until 5 pm.  It's possible that the summit will be webcast by Senate Media Services.

Here's more from Senator Ellis' announcement:

As a result of the unprecedented number of exonerations in Texas, key leaders from across the state will gather in Austin on May 8 for a landmark Summit on Wrongful Convictions. Judges, lawmakers, defense attorneys, prosecutors, exonerees, professors and many others will come together for the Summit. The Summit will mark the first time any state’s criminal justice leaders have initiated a high-level meeting themselves to address wrongful convictions. Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis is spearheading the Summit, and Innocence Project Co-Director Barry Scheck will attend. The Summit will be open to the public.

“We’ve reached a tipping point on wrongful convictions in Texas. Nobody can seriously doubt that there’s a problem, and next week leaders from across our criminal justice system will come together to start solving it,” Senator Ellis said today. “We will bring a wide range of leaders, experts and exonerees together for a full day to develop concrete, common-sense remedies to make our system of justice more fair and accurate. We won’t solve these serious problems in one day, but we will make historic strides toward restoring confidence in our criminal justice system.”

I'll be posting more details as they become available.