The Miami Law Innocence Clinic traveled to Phoenix, Arizona, for the 2022 Innocence Network Conference. The Innocence Network is a coalition of innocence organizations committed to fighting wrongful convictions and providing aid to exonerees. Each year, the Innocence Network hosts a conference to bring together exonerees, advocates, and others who work to help the wrongfully incarcerated.
Miami Law’s innocence clinic is one of two Innocence Network member organizations in Florida and is the only university-based innocence organization in the state. Clinic Director Craig Trocino has been attending the conference since 2012.
"Being with all the amazing lawyers and learning from them invigorates me," Trocino said. "Meeting exonerees and hearing their stories of pain, loss, suffering, freedom, and redemption never ceases to amaze me."
This year, thanks partly to assistance from the Law Activity Fee Allocation Committee, Trocino brought five students to the conference to learn from lawyers working for innocence organizations and connect with exonerees from across the country.
"The students were as awed and inspired by the event as I was," Trocino said. "It gives reality to the work we do, which often takes years or decades to finish. We heard stories of people who spent 30 years in a prison for crimes they did not commit and sat with that horrific knowledge. Then we celebrated their freedom."
At the conference, students attended educational sessions, learning about the difficulties of life post-release, alternate paths to release short of exoneration, and conviction-integrity units in prosecutors' offices. The conference also hosted sessions to teach attendees about the intricacies of post-conviction DNA testing, racial bias in forensic testimony, and wrongful conviction courses at law schools and their influence on the future of the criminal justice system. Miami Law offers the course “Wrongful Convictions: Causes and Remedies,” taught by Trocino.
The conference's goal is to promote learning and growth through educational programming, relationship-building, collective action, and healing. For the Miami law students, the conference fulfilled its purpose, inspiring them and reinforcing their interest in the clinic's work.
"This conference cemented my passion for criminal justice reform and taught me so much more about how to center the community affected in conversations about restorative justice and healing," said clinic intern Madison Monzon. "I am beyond honored to have spoken to so many exonerees about what justice truly looks like to them."
For the clinic students, meeting the exonerees and hearing their stories was the most meaningful part of the conference.
"Hearing the testimonies of exonerees in person and being surrounded by people committed to fighting against the tragic injustice of wrongful convictions has reinforced my belief that there's still so much more to do," said clinic intern Reunie Faustin. "We truly have to protect our right of the presumption of innocence and to me that starts with reframing our conversations about the accused."
"The most impactful thing for me was hearing and seeing the support and love that the exonerees shared for each other," said clinic intern Tori Touzinsky.
The conference also allowed students to network with partner organizations, including the Innocence Project of Florida.
"This conference was such an amazing experience," said clinic intern Ashley Garcia. "My favorite part was meeting two Innocence Project of Florida exonerees, Stephanie Spurgeon and Paul Hildwin, and seeing the smiles on their face from attending their very first conference."
Trocino's goal in bringing the clinic students to the conference was to reinforce their passion for criminal justice and equip them with knowledge and skills they can apply to their clinic work and their future legal careers.
"I am more motivated than ever to go out and make a difference," said clinic fellow Jillian Kushner. "I will carry the things I learned this weekend with me for the rest of my life. I'll never forget the people I met and the stories I heard."
Read more about Miami Law's Innocence Clinic
