Carey Law celebrates launch of innocence clinic with documentary screening

The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law is celebrating the launch of its new innocence clinic with a screening of a documentary about an exonerated man on Wednesday evening.

Carey Law and the Maryland Office of the Public Defender in April announced the creation of a new innocence clinic, in which law students work under the supervision of criminal defense attorneys on behalf of people who have been convicted of serious crimes in Maryland state courts but maintain their innocence.

The clinic began its work at the start of the fall semester last month. Six students are enrolled in the clinic, a Carey Law spokesperson said.

The Innocence Project Clinic at Carey Law on Wednesday evening is hosting a screening of “Sixteen Years,” a documentary about Jeffrey Deskovic, who was wrongfully convicted of rape and murder north of New York City when he was 17 years old and was exonerated by DNA evidence.

The screening begins at 5:30 at Westminster Hall at 519 W. Fayette St. in Baltimore, according to a press release.

After the screening, Deskovic will participate in a panel discussion with documentarian Jia Rizvi, clinic director Erica Suter and Bernard Webster, a Baltimore County man who was exonerated in 2002. Maryland Public Defender Natasha Dartigue is also expected to speak.

Carey’s clinic means that both of Maryland’s law schools have students working to exonerate wrongfully convicted people.

The University of Baltimore School of Law has had one since 2008; it was involved in the defense of Adnan Syed, the subject of the podcast “Serial,” and John Huffington, whose case led to the disbarment of former Harford County State’s Attorney Joseph Cassilly.

Suter, one of Syed’s lawyers, led the clinic at UBalt Law for about four years before joining Carey.