Related Events
Emerging Leaders™ Workshop with JustLeadershipUSA™
Note: This event is for freed/exonerated people only
When: Thursday, April 3, 2025, 8:30 am to 4 pm
Where: Hyatt Regency Seattle, 808 Howell St, Seattle, WA
The Innocence Network has partnered with JustLeadershipUSA™ (JLUSA) to hold an Emerging Leaders™ Workshop for freed and exonerated people on Thursday, April 3rd. Emerging Leaders was created by JLUSA to support, educate, and empower local coalitions of activists and leaders to advocate for racial justice, end mass incarceration, and to center the voices of those most deeply impacted by discriminatory policies. This training was created for organizers and activists at all skill levels who are committed to racial justice. The Emerging Leaders training for the Innocence Network is a customized one-day training, covering leadership and communication skills. This training combines facilitated instructional sessions from experienced and directly impacted organizers and advocates, group work, strategic planning, and sharing from local leaders. Please review the program outline for more information about goals and objectives, structure, and approach, as well as a brief agenda.
Freed and exonerated people who are interested in participating in the Emerging Leaders Workshop should fill out this form to express interest. There is no cost to attend the training, though an additional hotel night will be required; participants will need to arrive in Seattle no later than the evening of Wednesday, April 2nd, as the workshop will start at 8:30 am on Thursday, April 3rd (breakfast will be served at 8:30 am, and programming will start promptly at 9:00 am). Reserving and paying for the additional night at the hotel is the responsibility of the freed/exonerated person OR their sponsoring organization. The training will be held at the Hyatt Regency Seattle, the same venue as the Innocence Network Conference. Individuals who participated in last year’s Emerging Leaders workshop are welcome to participate again this year.
American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) Training
Note: This training is designed for post-conviction innocence litigators
When: Thursday, April 3, 2025, 8:30 am to 4 pm
Where: Hyatt Regency Seattle, 808 Howell St, Seattle, WA
The American College of Trial Lawyers will lead a full-day, interactive trial skills training on Thursday, April 3rd. The goal of this session is to help lawyers learn and sharpen the skills they need to try a case. The topics will include case theme development, opening statements, direct examination of witnesses, cross examination of witnesses, unique issues concerning expert witnesses (as compared with lay witnesses), introduction and use of physical evidence, and closing arguments.
This training is free-of-charge for conference-registered litigators, though an additional hotel night will be required; participants will need to arrive in Seattle no later than the evening of Wednesday, April 2nd, as the workshop will begin at 8:30 am on Thursday, April 3rd (breakfast will be served at 8:30 am, and programming will start promptly at 9:00 am). Reserving and paying for the additional night at the hotel is the responsibility of the attendee OR their organization. Advance registration is required. Those who are interested in attending this training can sign up through the conference registration form. For those who would like to attend and already registered for the conference but did not sign up for this training at that time, please email eventsupport@metroconnections.com.
BIPOC Innocence Network Organization Staff Leadership Retreat
Note: This retreat is only for staff of Innocence Network member organizations who identify as BIPOC
When: Thursday, April 3, 2025, 2 pm to 7 pm
Where: Hyatt Regency Seattle, 808 Howell St, Seattle, WA
Join BIPOC staff of Innocence Network member organizations for a half-day retreat intended to help build connections, foster understanding, encourage healing, and boost empowerment. The Innocence Network Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee will send out an RSVP form to Network staff approximately one month in advance of the conference.
In Conversation with Amanda Knox, Exoneree and Author of Free: My Search for Meaning
When: Thursday, April 3, 2025, 5 pm to 6:30 pm
Where: Mutual Arts Collective, 94 Pike St, Unit 36, Seattle, WA
Amanda Knox spent nearly four years in prison and eight years on trial for a murder she didn’t commit—and became a notorious tabloid story in the process. Though she was exonerated, it’s taken more than a decade for her to reclaim her identity and truly feel free. Her new book, FREE: My Search for Meaning, recounts how Amanda survived prison, the mistakes she made and misadventures she had reintegrating into society and culminates in the untold story of her return to Italy and the extraordinary relationship she’d built with the man who sent her to prison. In harrowing (and sometimes hilarious) detail, Amanda tells the story of her personal growth and hard-fought wisdom, recasting her public reckoning as a private reflection on the search for meaning and purpose that will speak to everyone persevering through hardship.
This event will take place at the Mutual Arts Collective, a gallery and event space located on the third floor of Pike Place Market. Space is limited; RSVP here by April 1, 2025.
ALIVE INSIDE: A Grief & Healing Open Mic for Community Impacted by the Prison System
When: Thursday, April 3, 2025, 8 pm to 11 pm
Where: The Rabbit Box Theater, 94 Pike Street, Suite 11, Seattle, WA
ALIVE INSIDE will host an open mic night of sharing with community impacted by the prison system on Thursday, April 3rd. This event is open to the general public and is similar to the open mic session ALIVE INSIDE has facilitated at the Innocence Network Conference for the last three years. Admission is free (suggested donation of $10-$25). Learn more on the organization’s website. ALIVE INSIDE is a YG2D nonprofit prison program bringing community impacted by the prison system creatively into the conversation of grief, loss, & our shared mortality, inspiring a more connected & meaningful experience of being alive, offering a rare chance for spontaneous and creative vulnerability, intimacy, and connection, with grief & gratitude open mics, writing workshops & group facilitation.
Please RSVP here if you would like to make a donation with your ticket or email jordan@yg2d.com if you would like to reserve a free ticket to the event.
Innocence Network Conference Closing Celebration
When: Saturday, April 5, 2025, 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Where: Seattle Art Museum (SAM), 1300 1st Ave, Seattle, WA
The optional conference closing celebration will be held at the Seattle Art Museum, the largest fine art museum in the Pacific Northwest. Entrance to the closing celebration includes access to museum galleries, two drink tickets, and a menu of heavy appetizers. Artwork by freed and exonerated individuals will be on virtual display throughout the celebration. The museum is about a 15-minute walk (.7 miles) from the conference venue. A free shuttle will be available for those who need it, running on a loop.
As in years past, the closing celebration is free for freed/exonerated people and their conference-registered family member, who do not need to purchase a separate ticket. For all other attendees, the cost is $65. You are able to purchase closing celebration tickets for yourself and for a guest at the same time you register for the conference, so please be sure to indicate that you want a ticket and you'll be able to sign up for both in a single transaction. If you didn’t purchase a ticket when you registered for the conference and would like to attend, please email eventsupport@metroconnections.com.