@quattronecenter.org
National research and policy hub at the University of Pennsylvania, created to correct errors and catalyze long-term structural improvements to the US criminal justice system. Visit https://www.law.upenn.edu/institutes/quattronecenter/
Join prosecutors and defense attorneys, judges, academics and researchers, law enforcement representatives, advocates, students, and other criminal justice professionals for two days of conversation, discussion, and collaboration at the Quattrone Center 2026 Spring Symposium on May 12-13.
Five things you need to know about the 2026 Spring Symposium at @penncareylaw.bsky.social. Take a look at our most frequently asked questions — then don’t wait another moment to register! (1/2)
Register today: cvent.me/WO9qgn
"...disciplinary violations to be based solely on the results of color-based tests, despite these tests' known accuracy problems and the manufacturers' warnings that there should always be a confirmatory lab test." (2/2)
Feel free to send more questions to our email! quattronecenter@law.upenn.edu
Hello, @po58.bsky.social! Here's an answer frrom our experts: "Having the lab verify test results prior to taking any action is a best practice, because labs use more robust methods to identify substances that are much less prone to error. Unfortunately, many correctional systems allow..." (1/2)
Join us for a book talk with @galvinalmanza.bsky.social. Her newly-released book, The Price of Mercy, exposes the reality of America's criminal courts and what's needed for reform.
March 24, 6:00p.m. - 8:00p.m, ET
@penncareylaw.bsky.social
Gittis Hall, rm 214
Info: https://tinyurl.com/37hdn4y6
NEW: Chicago taxpayers will pay $500,000 to resolve a lawsuit filed by a man who was charged with a murder in 2020 based on an alert from the city’s now-defunct gunshot detection system, according to court records. @wttw.bsky.social
We do! You can access our report and policy brief, along with real-world examples here:
A South Carolina man using prescription meds spent seven months on house arrest after a false-positive field drug test for fentanyl. It took 15 months for a more thorough lab result to exonerate him, emphasizing the harm that field drug tests cause when solely relied upon for arrests.
In 1977, a Buffalo teenager gave coerced testimony that sent three of his friends to prison for more than 2 decades. Now released and exonerated, the last two members of the "Buffalo Five" chronicle a five-decade story of loss, guilt, and forgiveness.
Read more:
Last month, an NJ judge threw out a child sexual assault case after finding evidence of gross prosecutorial misconduct that rendered the trial "fundamentally unfair." Findings reveal that prosecutors failed to disclose a personal connection to the victim in a timely manner and lied to authorities.
Our (@psjpbc.bsky.social) next policy briefing is on the use of Sentinel Event Reviews as a tool for changing deadly police policies and practices. March 10th on Zoom. RSVP in comments.
Why aren't miscarriages of justice treated like medical errors?
In a powerful piece in @currentaffairs.bsky.social, Eric Reinhart & @alexvitale.bsky.social call on NYC to conduct sentinel event reviews to evaluate incidents of police-involved violence.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/27znnth8
Exonerees Andrew Wayne Roark and Josh Burns are launching a podcast next month to talk about "shaken baby syndrome" and its connection to wrongful convictions. Guests will include John Grisham, TX State Representative Lacey Hull, and University of Wisconsin Professor and SBS expert Keith Findley.
🚨 Big news – @amandaknox.com is keynoting the Quattrone Center 2026 Spring Symposium. Register now to join us May 12–13 in Philadelphia, PA as Amanda kicks off two days of real-world insight and collaboration on the major criminal justice issues of our day.
Save your spot today: cvent.me/WO9qgn
The advancement of technology has helped prosecutors and law enforcement keep communities safe, but are they qualified to interpret and present data that tech provides without misrepresenting it? Harvard Political Review analyzes the "statistical literacy crisis" taking place in American courts:
We can't wait to host Emily for a discussion of the book at @penncareylaw.bsky.social on March 24. Stay tuned for details.
In a powerful new book out today, our friend @galvinalmanza.bsky.social draws on her experience as a former public defender by exposing how the institutions that claim to protect us are doing the exact opposite, and what it will take to change them. Learn more & buy today:
A 13-year-old girl was expelled from school in Iowa after cookies she baked tested positive (erroneously) for marijuana. QC Asst. Director Ross Miller sat with KWQC to discuss the colorimetric field drug test that provided this false result and more.
Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/428kxt53
Read our full report here: lnkd.in/eGMkBsg3
Bail reform works.
QC Academic Director Paul Heaton spoke this week at the @uh.edu Law Center on our research showing that bail reform in Harris County reduced pretrial detention, saved millions of dollars & prevented innocent defendants from being coerced into guilty pleas — while reducing crime.
We agree with Michigan SADO Director Marilena David — in order to have justice, our criminal legal system must focus on accuracy in the law. Learn how our Sentinel Event Review process bridges the gap between previous wrongdoings and future best practices today: https://tinyurl.com/4vtuak3w
Registration is open! Use the link below to secure your spot at the 2026 Spring Symposium, happening May 12-13 at @penncareylaw.bsky.social.
The Symposium is open to all at no cost, but space is limited, so be among the first to secure your spot today: https://cvent.me/WO9qgn
New reporting from the Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board reveals that California law enforcement is much more likely to use force on unhoused individuals when stopped. @sfchronicle.com reports on what this near 30-point discrepancy says about homelessness and crime in America:
Fordham University (@fordham.edu) presents "The Law’s Blind Spots," a full-day program on February 13 (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.). Law and psychology experts will discuss improving the justice system by reducing outdated assumptions about human cognition and behavior. View agenda and register:
Under a new law, Maryland counties are required to pay half of all wrongful conviction compensation payouts, creating added hurdles for exonerees seeking recompense for their time behind bars. New reporting from @thebaltimorebanner.com explores how:
Author Rick Tulsky will discuss his book Injustice Town, detailing Lamonte McIntyre's wrongful conviction and Kansas City's failed justice system, at the Free Library of Philadelphia on February 9 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
View details and register: https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/162147
An important new report from @rand.org cites QC's Sentinel Event Review findings in establishing guidance for how protest organizers and law enforcement agencies can ensure that protests remain peaceful:
Many thanks to the bill sponsors (Reps. Bacon and Gilchrist & Sens. Ball and Frizell) to our advocacy partners at the Korey Wise Innocence Project, the Roadside Drug Test Innocence Alliance, @innocenceproject.bsky.social, and the Reason Foundation for support of this essential reform.
Last week, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated The Alabama Solution for Best Documentary Feature! We were honored to host a screening of this film — chronicling the abuse and neglect taking place in Alabama's prisons — with Penn Law Toll Public Interest Center last November.
Why are judges rejecting prosecutorial admissions of error in wrongful conviction cases? Dive into this tension with Quattrone Center Executive Director @tcita.bsky.social, Kelly Bauder, Lara A. Bazelon, and Sunny Eaton in this @americanbar.org webinar on Thursday, January 29:
