Attention Criminal Law and Post-Conviction Scholars,
On behalf of the Akron Law Review, I hope you will consider sharing your expertise at our upcoming Spring 2025 Symposium in Akron, Ohio.
On Friday, March 13, 2026, the Akron Law Review will host a symposium titled "Beyond the Sentence: Expanding Pathways to Post-Conviction Relief." We are seeking presenters with diverse backgrounds—academic, legal practice, advocacy, and policy—to engage in meaningful conversation about the legal and structural mechanisms that allow individuals to seek release or relief after conviction.
The symposium will explore the dynamic and evolving landscape of post-conviction relief, with a particular focus on executive clemency, compassionate release, habeas corpus, and second-look sentencing reforms. We are especially interested in comparative perspectives on federal and state clemency systems, judicial innovations, and legislative reforms aimed at providing meaningful second chances.
While the primary aim of the Akron Law Review Symposium is to showcase outstanding legal scholarship, we welcome interdisciplinary contributions from practitioners, policymakers, and scholars whose work intersects with the criminal legal system, sentencing reform, or post-conviction advocacy. Confirmed panel topics include:
· Second Chances in the Courts: Examining judicial mechanisms for relief such as compassionate release, resentencing, and habeas petitions.
· Executive Clemency in Practice: A comparative discussion between federal and state systems, with attention to design, discretion, and reform.
· Legislative Reform and the Future of Sentencing: Exploring statutory innovations such as second-look laws, parole reform, and retroactive relief.
In addition to presenting at the symposium, participants will submit papers of approximately 10,000–12,000 words related to their topic for publication in Volume 59 of the Akron Law Review (expected Spring 2026).
If you are interested in presenting and publishing, please submit a one-page proposal or unpublished paper by Friday, August 8, 2025 at 5:00 PM (EST) to Anna Zumbar at aez11@uakron.edu. We also welcome submissions of completed but unpublished papers.
Our editorial board is committed to prompt and thoughtful review of all submissions. Decisions will be communicated by August 29, 2025 at 5:00 PM (EST). Drafts for editing will be due by December 12, 2025 in preparation for the March event.
We hope you will consider participating in this important conversation about justice, mercy, and reform in the post-conviction landscape.
Sincerely,
Anna Zumbar
Managing Editor, Symposium
Akron Law Review
aez11@uakron.edu