Celebrating Professor Mike Brennan’s Legacy
On June 15, 2023, USC Gould School of Law and PCJP faculty, students, alumni, and friends gathered to celebrate the accomplishments and legacy of USC Gould School of Law Professor Emeritus Mike Brennan, co-director of the Post-Conviction Justice Project, on the eve of his retirement. The reception, held at Town and Gown at the USC…
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Watch: Romarilyn’s Story featured in Now This
Now This featured the story and work of Romarilyn, former client of the Post-Conviction Justice Project at the USC Gould School of Law. PCJP represented Romarilyn in several parole hearings and on habeas corpus, eventually securing her release in 2011. In 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued “a full and unconditional pardon” to Romarilyn, recognizing…
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PCJP Co-Director on KPCC: Sentencing Reform in California
Heidi Rummel, co-director of the Post-Conviction Justice Project and professor at USC Gould School of Law, discussed California’s prison reform efforts Sept. 30 on KPCC’s “Air Talk” with guest host Kyle Stokes and Eric Siddall, vice president of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys. Rummel talked about criminal sentencing laws in the state, starting with…
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Our Incredible Visit to Paws4Life
How our clients helped me conquer a lifelong phobia. By Jaana Singh (Gould ‘24) On August 1, 2022, my fellow summer students and I had the opportunity to visit California State Prison-Los Angeles County to learn more about the Paws For Life K9 Rescue Program. On the drive up, the three other summer students were…
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“Shining Star” Norma Cumpian Makes News Fighting for Change
Former PCJP client Norma Cumpian, who came home in 2010, was recently the subject of a feature story in The Sacramento Bee. The piece describes Norma’s journey to freedom and beyond as “a case study in how America’s understanding of domestic violence and treatment of prisoners has shifted and how a mother’s love for her son…
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Media Mentions
Sirhan Sirhan’s possible parole creates divide in Kennedy family and beyond, L.A. Times, 9/13/21
Investigating OC Law Enforcement: Orange County’s DA and Sheriff Are Under Rare Scrutiny, Voice of OC, 6/12/17
‘People Evolve’: Why DA Gascón Reversed Decades of Parole Policy To Support Release In Most Cases, LAIST, 5/6/21
Trojan Tales: USC’s Post-Conviction Justice Project provides the right to a second chance, USC Annenberg Media, 7/1/20
USC Law Professor Fights to Give Lifers a Second Chance, San Quentin News, 3/12/20
The transformation of the California prison system, KCRW, 10/21/19
For inmates serving life terms, USC’s Post-Conviction Justice Project sparks hope where none existed, USC News, 2/26/19
Sentenced to life in prison without parole as teenagers, these inmates never thought they’d be free—now they’re preparing for a life outside, The Nation, 1/9/19
USC’s Post-Conviction Justice Project is giving juvenile offenders a second chance, Daily Trojan, 4/12/18
GRIEVING RELATIVES OF THE PREGNANT WOMAN STABBED TO DEATH NEAR THE VENICE SIGN OPPOSE SENDING THE ACCUSED TO JUVENILE COURT, The Argonaut, 6/7/17
PROSECUTORS SHOULD SEARCH FOR JUSTICE INSTEAD OF RUSHING TO JUDGMENT, Los Angeles Daily Journal, 12/17/15 (re-posted by ACLU of SoCal)
Crime, Punishment, Good Intentions and Skid Row; As Prison Reform Measure Prop 47 Is Implemented, Some Worry About a Surge in Downtown Crime and Homelessness, Downtown LA News, 10/9/15
Serving Life for Surviving Abuse, The Atlantic, 1/26/15
Free After 32 Years, KCRW, 3/27/14
Grandma Convicted of Murder Released After 32 Years (video), NBC Los Angeles, 3/25/14
74-year-old woman freed after serving 32 years for murder she did not commit, Yahoo News, 3/25/14
74 -Year-Old Woman Released After 32 Years in Prison, KTLA, 3/25/14
Woman Freed After Serving 32 Years in 1981 Killing, LA Times, 3/24/14
CA debates future of juveniles in prison with no parole, KPCC, 8/15/12
CA debates future of juveniles in prison with no parole, KPCC, 8/15/12
Schwarzenegger’s Final Day Pardons, KCRW, 1/4/11
Paroled Mom Already in Mexico, Ocean County Register, 3/19/10
https://news.usc.edu/57965/usc-justice-project-client-receives-resentencing/
https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/03/25/california-first-release-under-new-child-offender-laws
https://pcjp.usc.edu/2015/03/24/juvenile-offender-serving-life-released-from-prison/#more-1483https://pcjp.usc.edu/2013/12/18/abc7-california-man-convicted-at-16-resentenced-under-new-law/