Jonesboro, AR – (Contributed) – A panel discussion presented by the Sociology and Criminology Association (SCA) will be held on campus at Arkansas State University from 2 until 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, in the auditorium of the Reng Student Union.
The panel will include attorneys who defended the three men known as the West Memphis Three.
“This event is a collaboration with a wrongful convictions course where we have discussed many cases and ways to improve our criminal justice system,” said Lesleigh Sullivan, vice president of the SCA.
Sullivan said the panel was born out of a presentation by two students in a special topics class taught by Dr. Stacy Dewald, assistant professor of criminology. She said the class worked together to create questions for the upcoming event.
Panelists will be Jeff Rosenzweig, who was Jessie Miskelley’s appellate attorney; Paul Ford, who was Jason Baldwin’s trial attorney; and Patrick Benca, who was Damien Echols’s appellate attorney.
“Wrongful convictions are being brought to light in our society. Through advancements in science and criminal justice, more cases are challenged each year,” Sullivan added. “It is important for our community to learn more about these cases to help draw attention to them and remove the stigma surrounding them.”
The panel is free and open to the public.