Criminal Defense Colloquia

Actor Martin Sheen has recorded a public service announcement for the CDRC. Click here to view it online.

The effectiveness of American government depends on its citizenry. In order for our Judicial Branch to work effectively and with legitimacy, our citizenry must be active and participant. But before they can become participants, the public must become fully informed. Too often, public perception of American laws, courts, defendants, attorneys and Judges are based on misleading information, a misunderstanding of citizen rights and an inaccurate and inflammatory view of the justice system as a whole (not to mention of lawyers!). One of the foremost goals of the CDRC is to empower the public with an in depth understanding of our criminal legal system and the public's relative rights and duties as citizens within that system. Simultaneously, the CDRC strives to foster the relationship between lawyers and the public and to dispel some of the myths and stereotypes of the legal profession, especially as they apply to criminal law.

It is our mission to educate the public about United States criminal law thereby helping the public to participate in one of the truly unique and effective legal systems in the world.

The CDRC is proud to present our "Criminal Defense Resource Center Law Colloquia," a free series of lectures and expositions on criminal law presented to the public by lawyers, legal scholars and criminal justice professionals. The CDRC Colloquia will cover a wide range of topics including Constitutional Rights, Plea Bargaining, "Technicalities" and the Death Penalty. The Colloquia presentations will move around the state in an effort to reach out to as many Pennsylvanians as possible. We encourage anyone who has ever had an idea or an opinion about criminal law to join us on the lecture circuit or to simply click on the criminal law seminar of the week. We welcome your suggestions for lecture material.

Click here for the calendar of events.

Click here to listen to past lectures.