Hundreds take part in Crime and Punishment Symposium

FEB. 20, 2010 - Students and attorneys from across the Southeast listened to legal panelists discuss crime and punishment issues at an all-day symposium Friday.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Stephens of Greenville makes a point during one of the panel discussions.

Charleston School of Law Dean Andy Abrams said the two-day symposium was wildly successful with more than 200 registrants listening and participating.

"It's part of the mission of this law school to use the law and discussions about major legal issues to bring about change and improvement in our communities," he said.  "The law is a powerful tool to make our communities better.  By bringing in experts to promote discussion, you improve your communities."

This year's symposium, the second in an annual series, started Thursday night with a powerful, emotional keynote address by Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative of Montgomery, Ala.  His talk, "The Politics of Crime and Punishment:  Condemnation, Mercy and Justice" drew a standing ovation from the more than 200 people who attended.

Last year, the school's Charleston Law Review, in cooperation with the Richard W. Riley Institute of Government, Politics and Public Leadership at Furman University, presented a February symposium on constitutional reform.  Organizers already are planning for next year's event, which may focus on First Amendment issues.

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"Through these symposia, we're bringing in nationally-known attorneys and scholars to address legal and societal issues," Abrams said.

By gathering different legal constituencies, this year's "Crime and Punishment" symposium offered an exploration into the range and functions of criminal punishment, evaluate whether existing law meets identified objectives, revisited the definition of cruel and unusual punishment, analyzed the effect of the financial crisis on white collar crime, and examined the troubled relationship between schools and prison.  In addition to identifying problems in the crime and punishment system, speakers offered constructive solutions," organizers said.

"These issues are relevant to everyone, including lawyers in every discipline," said Will Cook, assistant professor at the Charleston School of Law.  "When laws that criminalize and punish conduct create unintended consequences, social cost is high." 

Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Rights Initiative, right, mingles following his Thursday night speech.  (Photos by Krystal Johnson.)

According to Don Gordon, executive director of the Riley Institute at Furman, the symposium could not have come at a more appropriate time.  "The conference represents an opportunity for a common sense discussion about why we criminalize and punish, and whether the systems our governments have created are accomplishing these goals."

A complete schedule for the symposium is available at http://www.charlestonlawreview.org/docs/mailer.pdf

The Charleston Law Review is the flagship journal of the Charleston School of Law.  The Law Review will publish a companion issue to the symposium that may be ordered through its Web site.  In past issues, the Charleston Law Review has published significant public figures ranging across the political spectrum from then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama to former presidential legal advisor John Yoo.

• CONTACT:   Andy Brack at 843.670.3996, or Will Cook at 843.801.3366