Panel: Innocence, Racial Injustice, and the Death Penalty

Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice 2019

Saturday, 11/16, 8:20-9:10 PM

PANEL: INNOCENCE, RACIAL INJUSTICE, AND THE DEATH PENALTY

Two years ago, the Ignatian Family was honored to have Alfred “Dewayne” Brown to speak at the Teach-In. Dewayne was released from Texas’ notorious death row on June 8, 2015.  He spent 12 years and sixty-two days in prison for a crime he did not commit.  He was released as a result of exculpatory evidence which was withheld from his attorneys.  Dewayne’s case was riddled with injustice: prosecutorial misconduct, ineffective defense counsel, racial bias, corrupt police, and more. Sadly, these trends are all too common throughout the criminal justice system, especially in death penalty cases.

Now the subject of an upcoming Netflix documentary, we are pleased to invite Dewayne and his attorney back to share important updates on his case, the state of the death penalty in the United States.  They will be joined by other criminal justice experts who can help us place this emblematic case in the broader context of mass incarceration in the United States as we discuss ways each of us can help build a more just justice system.

Alfred Dewayne Brown & Brian Stolarz, Esq.

Alfred Dewayne Brown was released from Texas’ notorious death row on June 8, 2015.  He spent 12 years and sixty-two days in prison for a crime he did not commit.  He was released as a result of exculpatory evidence which was withheld from his attorneys.  He lives in Louisiana and is enjoying his freedom in a peaceful, loving way.

Brian W. Stolarz was Dewayne’s attorney for 8 years and represented him pro bono.  The relationship evolved from lawyer-client to one of true brotherhood, and Brian is honored to call Dewayne a friend and brother. Brian’s book, Grace and Justice on Death Row, which details his faith journey involved in representing Dewayne, premiered on theWashington Post best-sellers list. Sr. Helen Prejean, CSJ, wrote the foreword for the book. Brian is a criminal defense attorney with LeClairRyan in Alexandria, VA.