A conference this week in San Francisco will bring together experts on wrongful convictions, prosecutorial misconduct and other problems in the justice system, according to the city’s public defender’s office.
The event on Wednesday, titled “Public Defender’s Justice Summit: There Must Be Justice,” comes amid a scandal involving a crime lab technician who is accused of taking cocaine from evidence, and allegations that prosecutors failed to disclose the convictions and misconduct of dozens of police officers who testified in court.
“There couldn’t be a better time to have a frank discussion about the everyday injustices that make it difficult for ordinary citizens to get a fair shake,” San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi said in a statement.
Panelists at the conference will discuss topics including remaking the image of defense attorneys and statewide criminal record reform.
Speakers will include attorney and author Amy Bach, Gerald Schwartzbach, whose high-profile cases include the murder acquittal of actor Robert Blake, Jonathan Shapiro, a television writer and producer, and Jami Floyd, a former Court TV anchor.
The conference will take place from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Koret Auditorium at the San Francisco Main Library at 100 Larkin St.
To register for the event, which is free, visit www.sfpublicdefender.org.
