This course provides three lessons, reviewing the history of the Commission, the duties of the Commissioners, and an overview of the Commission staff.
Lesson 1 explores the significant milestones in the creation and development of a formal system to address wrongful convictions in North Carolina. Through a series of high-profile exonerations in the early 2000s, Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake recognized the need for systemic reform and initiated efforts that would eventually lead to the establishment of the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission.
Lesson 2 describes the roles and responsibilities of the Commissioners. It provides an overview of what Commissioners can expect during the Commission hearing. The lesson highlights the strengths of the Commission model: bringing together a cross-section of criminal justice stakeholders to review and evaluate claims of innocence.
Lesson 3 describes the staff roles and responsibilities. It reviews each step of the process of investigating claims of innocence, and details the staff’s day-to-day work.
