Criminal Law and Justice

Criminal Law News & Resources

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  NCVLI and Partners Stand with Courtney Wild, Filing an Amicus Curiae Brief Seeking Review by the Entire 11th Circuit
• Jeffrey Epstein’s Victims Receive Amicus Support in the Eleventh Circuit
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  CJRC Clients Receive Clemency and Win Parole
  Governor Kate Brown commuted two clients of the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic (CJRC) at the beginning of April. Suzanne Miles and Patricia Butterfield both applied for clemency in 2018 and were released from Coffee Creek Correctional Facility on April 10, 2020. A third client of CJRC, parolee Joshua Wilburn, was released nearly three months early on April 20th. The Clinic submitted 80 pages of material, including a parole plan, and represented him in his hearing in from of the Parole Board this past fall; Mr. Wilburn was successful at both his murder review hearing then and at his exit interview on March 16, 2020.
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  Supreme Court Strikes Down Non-Unanimous Jury Convictions in Criminal Cases, Cites Professor Kaplan in Opinion
  Professor Aliza Kaplan, Director of the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic, was cited by Justice Kavanaugh of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in his concurring opinion in Ramos v. Louisiana. Ramos v. Louisiana was decided by the United States Supreme Court on April 20, 2020, and strikes down non-unanimous jury convictions as unconstitutional.
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  Prof Kaplan, CJRC in NY Times
  In a story about non-unanimous juries, professor Aliza Kaplan and the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic are mentioned for research on how the law affects Oregonians.
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  CJRC Wins Clemency for Incarcerated Juvenile
  Governor Kate Brown granted clemency to a young woman on the basis of a petition prepared by law students in the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic.
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  Oregon Supreme Court Cites Clinic Amicus Brief
  The Criminal Justice Reform Clinic,  (CJRC) celebrated a win in early October when the Oregon Supreme Court ruled in favor of Dante Farmer, an incarcerated individual, and cited an amicus brief from CJRC in support of his case.
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  Appellate Ruling Supported by CVLC Research
  Two Lewis & Clark law students, Sarah Fine ’18 and Kaylee Dickerboom ’19, spent the months researching and assisting in drafting arguments to inform an appellate brief filed in Arizona on behalf of a victim of crime. Their arguments prevailed and the court ruled in favor of the crime victim.
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  Professor Kaplan Discusses the Reliability of Forensic Science

  Professor Aliza Kaplan’s research examines the validity and reliability of forensic science in the criminal justice system and suggests that such evidence needs to be augmented using a collaborative approach.

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  Disability Rights in Oregon Prisons, Focus of CJRC Project
  Students working at the Lewis & Clark Criminal Justice Reform Clinic (CJRC) assisted  Disability Rights Oregon (DRO) last semester to produce a ‘Know Your Rights’ self-advocacy brochure for people with disabilities who are incarcerated in Oregon prisons.