Skip navigation

Innocence Project Director Guest Speaker for April 2 Philosophy and Religion Forum

Tue, 03/26/2019 - 02:57pm | By: David Tisdale

Tucker Carrington

The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Philosophy and Religion Forum continues Tuesday, April 2 when Tucker Carrington, executive director of the Mississippi Innocence Project (MIP) will present "Mona Lisa Vito & Two Mississippi Babies: Forensic Science, Medicine and the Law." This free program will be held at 6:30 p.m. in room 108 of the Liberal Arts Building on the USM Hattiesburg campus, and the public is invited.

The mission of the Innocence Project is to identify, investigate and litigate actual claims of innocence by Mississippi prisoners, as well as advocate for systemic criminal justice reform. In addition to leading the Innocence Project, Carrington also serves as the University of Mississippi Law School's associate dean for clinical programs and assistant professor of law.

Along with Radley Balko, Carrington is co-author of The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South which profiles the wrongful convictions and subsequent exonerations of Kennedy Brewer and Levon Brooks based upon questionable forensic evidence. Their stories are the subject of a video documentary “Mississippi Innocence.”

Carrington is also a member of the legal defense team for Curtis Flowers, a Mississippi prisoner who has been tried and convicted of the same crime six times. Flowers' case was heard by the United States Supreme Court just last week, and received national attention for its implications regarding racial bias in jury selection.

“The opportunity to hear Mr. Carrington speak on issues of justice and ethics is a unique opportunity for all students to hear first-hand the perspectives of someone who is actively engaged in righting one of the most profound forms of social injustice imaginable,” said Dr. Alan Thompson, USM associate professor of criminal justice. “His interactive presentation style, which encourages questions from the audience, lends itself to a thought-provoking experience for students, faculty, and community members alike. This is a ‘must-attend' forum that will not disappoint.”

For more information on Carrington's book The Cadaver King and The Country Dentist, visit https://www.amazon.com/Cadaver-King-Country-Dentist-Injustice/dp/161039691X; view “Mississippi Innocence” at https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=mississippi+innocence+vimeo&view=detail&mid=858CEEEFA8F75CDC9182858CEEEFA8F75CDC9182&FORM=VIRE.

The USM Philosophy and Religion Forum is coordinated by associate professor of philosophy and director of USM's Office of Research Integrity Dr. Samuel Bruton. For information on the USM Philosophy and Religion program, visit https://www.usm.edu/philosophy-religion