The Black Law Students Association held its fall BLSA FALL Movie Night on Friday, November 9th.

The film, titled After Innocence, told the dramatic and compelling story of exonerated - innocent men wrongfully imprisoned for decades and then released after DNA evidence proved their innocence. The film focused on the gripping story of seven men and their emotional journey back into society and efforts to rebuild their lives.

The BLSA Board;
Damika Webb, David Gamble, JustinCruz, Latrice Hight, Danielle Ford. Kyle Ishmael

 

 
Here are some thoughts on the evening from BLSA President Latrice Hight:  "We chose wrongful convictions as our theme for our Fall Movie Night this year to address an important issue facing the legal world. The film illustrates a flaw that exists in the legal system; one that has innocent people convicted and imprisoned for crimes they never committed.

Our special guest speakers were Mr. Jeff Chinn and Mr. Tim Atkins. Mr. Chinn is the assistant director of the California Innocence Project.  He is directly involved in reviewing inmates’ claims of innocence and deciding which the Project should investigate. Mr. Chinn also works with the exonerees after their release from prison. One of the major problems is that exonerees are not compensated for the time they were wrongfully imprisoned. There have been many bills proposed to grant exonerees compensation, but none have yet been passed.

Mr. Tim Atkins spent over 20 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. While in prison, he tried to stay away from negativity in order not to succumb to his situation.  He also spent time in the prison’s library even though many of the law books were 40 years out of date. Mr. Atkins was released only after a witness recanted her testimony from the trial.  Mr. Atkins stated that being free and making his own decisions were what he missed the most while in prison; and that most people take such things for granted every day."

BLSA Fall Movie Night was catered by Phil’s BBQ.