Innocence Network Conference at U of W March 17-19

The 2006 Innocence Network Conference will be held from Friday, March 17th through Sunday March 19th at the University of Washington School of Law  in Seattle, Washington.  You can register for the conference at: http://www.uwcle.org/schedule.htm  Early registration (especially at the $175 level) will assist us in determining whether we can offer a Saturday evening dinner at the University of Washington Club with the registration fee. 

Hotel rooms are reserved (single/$99 and double/$109) at a nearby University Tower Hotel, 4507 Brooklyn Avenue NE, Seattle; telephone 800-899-0251 or 206.634.2000.  Please note that room reservations should be made by February 16, 2006, after which time rooms will be available on a space-available basis only. Be sure to mention the "Innocence Project Network" when making your room reservation. http://www.universitytowerhotel.com/. For those traveling on  limited budgets, the College Inn hotel in the University District is  quite inexpensive: http://www.collegeinnseattle.com/#rates

The tentative schedule includes  meetings (Innocence Network  Board Meeting /Innocence Network Member Meeting) on Friday, March 17th from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.  Our first plenary session will begin at 5:00 p.m., and the conference will go through noon on Sunday, March 19th.

Confirmed sessions include:

---"The Year in Review:"  Moderated by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld

---"The Progress of Eyewitness Identification Procedure Reform"  - Panelists include Dr. Gary Wells (Professor, Iowa State University), Keith Findley (Wisconsin), Chris Mumma (North Carolina), Stanley Fisher (Massachussetts) and Shawn Armbrust (Washington D.C.).

---"Innocence as a Wedge: Can Exonerations Help Challenge Mass Incarceration?"  - Moderated by Colin Starger.

---"The Life and Times of Commissions" - Moderated by Robert Hoelscher.  Panelists include Keith Findley,  (Wisconsin, Avery Task Force) ;     Chris  Mumma  (North Carolina, Actual Innocence Commission ); Andrew Vail  (Illinois, Commission on Capital Punishment) .

---"DNA for Dummies" - Mark Godsey

---"Innocence and the Death Penalty" - Panelists include David Dow (Texas Innocence Network); Daniel Givelber and Nina Morrison (Innocence Project)

---"The History of Wrongful Convictions" - Moderated by Daniel Medwed, Panelists include:  Bruce Smith (University of Illinois).

---"Innocence Policy Network" - Moderated by Stephen  Saloom

---A special screening of:  "The Trials of Darryl Hunt" followed by a Q & A session with Darryl Hunt and his attorney, Mark Rabil.

---"International Innocence Issues" - Moderated by Lynne Weathered (Australia).  Panelists include Robert Schehr (USA) ; Gary Botting (Canada); Carole McCartney (England)

---"Starting an Innocence Project" - Justin Brooks

---"Investigative Techniques" -- Diana Queen

Other sessions promise to be equally interesting.  We are also planning a number of  roundtable sessions, as well as sessions and workshops for exonerees.