October 2025
Event Details
DATE: Wednesday, October 29, 2025
TIME: 12:50 p.m.–1:50 p.m.
Lunch will be provided.
LOCATION: W401
In recent years, national Conviction Integrity Units (CIU) of prosecutorial offices have played an important role in exonerating people wrongly convicted of crimes. In 2022, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg created the Post-Conviction Justice Unit (PCJU), a CIU tasked with reviewing old Manhattan cases, overturning wrongful convictions, and addressing the root causes behind these injustices. Since its inception, the PCJU has helped exonerate 13 people.
Join us for a conversation with PCJU Chief Shalena Howard and Deputy Chief Willoughby Jenett as they discuss the structure and purpose of the PCJU, the process of reviewing convictions, the factors that lead to wrongful convictions, collaborating with defense attorneys, and the path to obtaining an exoneration. The panel will be moderated by Professor Gaynor Cunningham, Co-Director of the NYLS Post-Conviction Innocence Clinic.
This event is co-sponsored by the Student Orgranizations Criminal Law Society and the Immigration Law Student Association.