Virtual book talk with Dr. Valena Beety author of “Manifesting Justice: Wrongly Convicted Women Reclaim Their Rights”

Event Page – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/manifesting-justice-wrongly-convicted-women-reclaim-their-rights-tickets-333763424387

In her book “Manifesting Justice: Wrongly Convicted Women Reclaim Their Rights,” author Valena Beety discusses how twenty years ago, her client Leigh was wrongly convicted of a crime that never happened – because of homophobia and stigma against drug use. Leigh and her co-defendant Tami were recently released from a treatment program and trying to save their overdosing friend, but calling 9-1-1 simply led to their own arrests. Their case shows how criminalization disrupts a health approach, how prosecutors in their discretion can criminalize or de-criminalize drug offenses, and how stigma and punishment disproportionately impact marginalized individuals.

Speaker Bio:

Valena Beety is a Professor of Law at Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and the Deputy Director of the Academy for Justice, a criminal justice center connecting research with policy reform. Beety has successfully exonerated wrongfully convicted clients, obtained presidential grants of clemency for drug offenses, and served as an elected board member of the national Innocence Network and an appointed commissioner on the West Virginia Governor’s Indigent Defense Commission. She litigated as a federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., before becoming an innocence advocate and founding the West Virginia Innocence Project. Beety is the co-editor of the Wrongful Convictions Reader (2nd Edition 2022), and the author of Manifesting Justice: Wrongly Convicted Women Reclaim Their Rights (Kensington Books, 2022).

You can buy the book here.

Accessibility

ASL interpretation and live captioning will be provided. This conference is virtual and open to the public. If you have other access needs or questions, please contact Aliza Cohen at acohen@drugpolicy.org.