Shepherd Conference to examine false confessions, wrongful convictions and youth representation

False confessions and the representation of youth who have confessed are among topics to be discussed by judges, professors, public defenders and attorneys at the University of Richmond School of Law’s 19th annual Robert E. Shepherd Jr. Juvenile Law and Education Conference May 16.

Robert L. Listenbee, administrator of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, will give the keynote address. In 2011, Listenbee received a “Champions for Change” award from the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change initiative for his work in juvenile justice reform in Pennsylvania.

Presentation topics will include a discussion of the case of Robert Davis, a Virginia man who says he was coerced into confessing to a double murder in 2003. His attorney, a law professor and a forensic psychologist will give their perspectives on the case. Also on the schedule are a legislative update and sessions on circuit court sentencing with Judge Jerrauld C. Jones, expert testimony in juvenile cases and what goes into a successful motion to suppress a statement.

The conference is named in honor of Shepherd, who served as a leading scholar of legal issues involving children and families in his 23 years as a professor at the law school. Shepherd, who retired in 2001 and died in 2008, founded Richmond's family law clinics and helped draft Virginia's first statute on child sex abuse.

The full conference schedule is available at http://law.richmond.edu/juvenile-law. For questions, contact Jessie Munn at 804-287-6823 or jmunn@richmond.edu.

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