Action

Because reform occurs outside the academy, the Center has its ‘boots on the ground’ in criminal practice. We represent poor people accused of crimes and run a rural externship program in Texas’ criminal law deserts. Our educational programming brings reform awareness and practical learning opportunities to classrooms, communities, and the nation.

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  • Rural Summer Externship Program

    The Deason Center’s Summer Externship Program offers students a nine-week criminal law externship in a small or rural Texas practice. Working in lawyer deserts that struggle with attorney-scarcity, externs hone their legal skills and develop valuable mentors, while gaining first-hand experience in rural prosecution or public defense.

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  • Across the Finish Line

    Created in partnership with The Decarceration Collective, Across the Finish Line (ATFL) provided SMU law students with an innovative service-learning opportunity. Students spent more than 1000 hours advocating for ATFL clients serving life-without-parole for nonviolent drug offenses, providing critical legal services and successfully achieving many clients’ release.

    Learn more about The Decarceration Collective

  • Buried Alive

    Co-founded by SMU Law and Deason Center alumna, Brittany Barnett, and incubated at the Deason Center, the Buried Alive Project challenges life-without-parole sentences for non-violent federal drug offenders. Though clemency petitions and post-conviction litigation, the Buried Alive Project has rescued dozens of people who might otherwise have died behind bars.

    Visit the Buried Alive Project Website

  • Criminal Justice Policy Practicum

    The Criminal Justice Policy Practicum (CJPP) offers students a unique learning opportunity in research and public policy. Under Professor Metzger’s supervision, students design, conduct, and report on data-driven studies about local criminal legal reform. CJPP work has been featured in local and national press, including the New York Times and the Dallas Morning News.

  • Letters for Lifers

    In March 2018, SMU law students began to work on a Letters from Lifers video presentation. Created in partnership with the Buried Alive Project, Letters from Lifers seeks to amplify the voices of people serving life-without-parole sentences for nonviolent drug crimes and offers a poignant reminder of the human hearts that beat behind bars.

    Watch Letters for Lifers on the Center's YouTube Channel

  • Troy's Story

    The Center’s representation of Troy Rhodes vindicates the right to counsel. In 2003, a non-unanimous jury convicted Mr. Rhodes of second-degree murder, and he was sentenced to 149 years in jail. Sixteen year later, the Deason Center persuaded a federal court that Mr. Rhodes had been deprived of his Sixth Amendment right to the effective assistance of counsel.

    Learn about Mr. Rhodes’ Journey