The Bowen Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (BCADP) will present “Troy Davis and What His Case Reveals about the Current Landscape of the Death Penalty in America” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, in the Friday Courtroom at the UALR William H. Bowen School of Law.

The event at 1201 McMath Ave. is free and open to the public.

Davis was executed on Sept. 21 for the Savannah, Ga. murder of police officer Mark MacPhail. The appeals surrounding his case have inspired many students to learn more about the death penalty.

The program will feature a discussion of Troy Davis’ case, including the facts surrounding the purported offense, his trial, conviction, various appeals, and why the state of Georgia insisted upon executing him after evidence emerged that created a great deal of doubt surrounding the validity of his conviction.

Discussion will proceed toward a general debate of the state of the death penalty in America, including discussions of other cases, its current status in Arkansas, and the growing anti-death penalty sentiment.

Leading that discussion will be Jeff Rosenzweig, a Little Rock-based attorney whose practice focuses on criminal law and appeals, white-collar crime, the death penalty, drug crimes, civil rights, and legal ethics. He is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts of Arkansas, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Recently, Rosenzweig helped negotiate the successful entrance of an “Alford Plea” on behalf of Jessie Misskelley, one of three men known as the “West Memphis Three.”

Partners in this program include the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arkansas, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Arkansas, Inc. and Bowen ACLU.

The Bowen Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (BCADP) is a student organization devoted to increasing knowledge and awareness of death penalty policy in Arkansas and around the country, while encouraging a dialogue about the death penalty among UALR law students, the faculty, and the community.