The Woodrow Wilson School will be among the co-sponsors of the Students for Prison Education And Reform’s (SPEAR) second annual conference on Friday and Saturday, April 10-11, on the campus of Princeton University. All events will be held in Whig Hall unless otherwise specified.

The conference will offer opportunities to learn and engage in dialogues focused on criminal justice reform and prison education in the United States..

The opening speaker for the conference on Friday night will be Sister Helen Prejean, author of “Dead Man Walking” which served as the basis for the 1995 film of the same name staring Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon. Sister Helen will speak about her life's work and ongoing ministry against the death penalty. The screening of her film will began at 3:00PM, and Sister Helen’s talk will begin at 5:30PM.

In addition to offer a variety of panels and workshops. Panels will allow experts to share their experiences with and/or research on the criminal justice system and possible routes towards reform. In addition, smaller workshops will be structured to allow participants and assembled experts to discuss specific aspects of the criminal justice system and share tactics for fostering change at a local, state, and national level. 

On Saturday April 11 at 4:30PM, the general conference will welcome Rabia Chaudry, a lawyer and activist in the Muslim community, to speak about issues within the criminal justice system. Chaudry recently gained widespread attention for her role in the creation of the 2014 podcast series Serial, which examines circumstances surrounding a life sentence handed down to 17-year-old Adnan Syed despite a lack of viable evidence.