CLE - “15 to Life: Kenneth’s Story” Every Child Deserves a Second Chance

January 22, 2015
5:30 - 7:35 p.m.
2.0 CLE credits
Thomas & Mack Moot Court Facility

Does sentencing a teenager to life without parole serve our society well?  The United States is the only country in the world that routinely condemns children to die in prison.  The film being screened, “15 to Life:  Kenneth’s Story” is the story of one of those children, now a young man, seeking a second chance in Florida.  At age 15, Kenneth Young received four consecutive life sentences for a series of armed robberies.  Imprisoned for more than a decade, he believed he would die behind bars.  Now a U.S. Supreme Court decision could set him free.  The distinguished members of our panel will talk about Nevada’s young lifers, why sentencing teens to die in prison disserves both them and our communities, and how legislation in the 2015 Nevada legislative session could effect important changes in the sentencing of our youth.

Moderator
Professor Mary Berkheiser, Joyce Mack Professor of Law and Director of Juvenile Justice Clinic, UNLV Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic, William S. Boyd School of Law
http://www.law.unlv.edu/faculty/mary-berkheiser.html

Presenters

Jason Frierson, William S. Boyd School of Law and Juvenile Justice Clinic alumnus and formerNevada Assemblyman http://www.jasonfrierson.com/about.php

Megan Hoffman, Chief, Non-Capital Habeus Unit, Office of the Federal Public Defender

Kristina Wildeveld, former Clark County Special Public Defender and  lawyer for many youth sentenced to life and other long sentences http://www.veldlaw.com/Attorney_Profile.html

TBD – psychiatrist/psychologist to talk about adolescent development and the significance of brain plasticity in adolescence.

AGENDA

Fee Schedule - No charge