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E) bonner@tcnj.edu

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1938 Pennington Rd.

Ewing, NJ 08618

Please enter our parking lot from Pennington Road, we are located about 150 yards south of the College's main entrance.

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Bonner Center for Civic
and Community Engagement

The College of New Jersey

P.O. Box 7718

Ewing, NJ 08628-0718

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Pat Donohue, Director

E) pdonohue@tcnj.edu

Paula Figueroa-Vega, Associate Director

E) pfiguero@tcnj.edu

Richard Wilson, Program Assistant

E) rwilson@tcnj.edu

Morgan Reil, Democracy Project Fellow

Bridge to Employment Initiative

E) reil@tcnj.edu

Brittany Aydelotte, Democracy Project Fellow

Bonner Community Scholars and Education Coordinator

E) aydelot2@tcnj.edu

Giancarlo Giametta, Democracy Project Fellow

Special Projects Coordinator

E) giamett2@tcnj.edu

Bonner Center for Civic and Community Engagement

TCNJ Home : Academics : Bonner :

First Seminar CEL Courses

Wrongful Convictions

Professor Lynn Goedecke

Wrongful Convictions

In the Wrongful Convictions seminar, we examine issues and problems inherent in the criminal justice system leading to the conviction of the innocent. The CEL experiences included a tour of East Jersey State Prison and an informal discussion with a group of inmates sentenced to life in prison. This tour was a powerful teaching tool for the students, who now have a unique perspective on the ramifications of a conviction.

The students also planned a forum on wrongful convictions for the campus and local communities that included an interactive student presentation and an address by a man who spent 10 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. The planning of and participation in this forum allowed the students to educate the audience (potential members of a jury pool) about some of the causes of wrongful convictions and ways to improve the system. More importantly, it brought the issue to life in a way that would be impossible to recreate in the classroom.