Harry Miller, who was convicted of armed robbery in 2003, spent almost five years in a Utah prison as a result of an eyewitness’ misidentification. He was freed with the help of Jensie Anderson, a professor at the S.J. Quinney College of Law and legal director at the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center. Miller’s case, already well-known as a powerful example of how wrongful convictions occur, was cast into the spotlight again this week when the Huffington Post held it up as evidence of why Utah’s system for criminal defendant representation is flawed. A report  recently released by the Sixth Amendment Center, a nonprofit, also pointed out several problems with the state’s defense system for indigent defendants. Carissa Byrne Hessick, a professor at the S.J. Quinney College of Law who teaches criminal procedure, is available to offer commentary about the report and what its findings mean for defendants.

Phone: 801-587-8756 | Email: carissa.hessick@law.utah.edu