EXCHANGE: When Innocence is Not Enough

Monday, July 15 | 5:30 – 7 pm | $12 for a single class, $40 for all four classes
Instructor: Thomas Dybdahl with Chris Turner

With the Brady Rule decision in 1963, the Supreme Court decreed that prosecutors must disclose favorable evidence to the defense that might exonerate the defendant of guilt—part of a suite of decisions aimed at promoting fairness in the criminal justice system. Focusing on an infamous 1984 murder case in Washington, DC, learn how and why the Brady Rule, which was supposed to promote fairness, ended up doing the very opposite, and why prosecutorial misconduct has become the single leading cause of wrongful convictions. This misconduct sent Chris Turner, one of those convicted for the DC crime, to jail for 25 years for a murder he did not commit. Both men will discuss and answer questions about a path to lasting change and how individual citizens can make a difference.

Tom Dybdahl was an attorney at the Public Defender Service in Washington, D.C. for 13 years where he tried 25 homicide cases. His book, When Innocence Is Not Enough: Hidden Evidence and the Failed Promise of the Brady Rule, is a finalist for the 2024 Colorado Book Awards (General Nonfiction category). Tom has graduate degrees in journalism, law, and theology. Chris Turner, one of the principal subjects of Tom’s book, will tell us how he survived decades behind bars knowing that he was innocent.