Dozens of students gathered in the UF Levin College of Law’s Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center Courtroom on Monday to hear a story of wrongful conviction.
The Innocence Project of Florida is an organization that aims to prove the innocence of wrongfully convicted prisoners. UF Hillel and the Jewish Law Students Association co-hosted the event that brought speaker Alan Crotzer to share his experience serving 24 years for crimes he did not commit, such as rape and robbery.
“The justice system is totally broken,” Crotzer said. “They knew before I went to trial it wasn’t me.”
He said he could calmly share the story of his unfair treatment because of his mother, who always believed in his innocence.
The Innocence Project of Florida not only helps prove accused prisoners’ innocence but also continues to help them after they’re released, like providing social workers and job training.
The organization’s goal is to keep cases like Crotzer’s from happening again, said Seth Miller, Florida Innocence Project executive director.
“We want to put ourselves out of business,” Miller said.
Alexa Jacobson, a UF criminology and business junior, said it was inspiring that Crotzer was able to talk to students after spending all those years in prison. She has been working with the Innocence Project since she was 15.
Now 21, she said she’s glad the event inspired the students to get involved with the justice system.
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 2/24/2015 under the headline “Innocence Project inspires hopefuls”]
Alan Crotzer, who spent more than 24 years in prison for rape, kidnapping and robbery before being proven innocent in 2006 at age 45, speaks at the Levin College of Law on Monday. He told his story and encouraged law students to become the kind of attorneys who help people who are wrongly convicted of crimes.
