‘Life After Murder’ author to visit Penn State Law on Oct. 17

Award-winning journalist Nancy Mullane, author of Life After Murder: Five Men in Search of Redemption, will visit Penn State Law on Wednesday, October 17 at 12:30 p.m. The event is open to the public, and will be held in room 110 Lewis Katz Building in University Park, Pa., and simulcast to room 124 Lewis Katz Hall in Carlisle. 

Is the old saying “Once a murderer, always a murderer” true? Or can a murderer be redeemed? And who do they become after serving decades in prison? Mullane found herself facing these questions when she visited San Quentin State Prison on an assignment to report on the exploding costs of incarceration. The people she met there astonished her with their remorse, introspection, determination and unshakable hope for freedom and forgiveness.

In Life After Murder, Mullane challenges readers to learn about a community of people who have largely been hidden from public view and the road they travel in search of redemption. During her presentation, Mullane will explain the fascinating and problematic chasm she discovered between the rehabilitative goal of incarceration and the harsh reality of a society that makes finding jobs, neighbors, and acceptance difficult for those who have served their time. More information about Life After Murder can be found online at www.lifeaftermurder.com.

Mullane develops, reports, and produces feature stories for Public Radio International’s This American Life, National Public Radio and the NPR affiliate KALW News-Crosscurrents in San Francisco. With the support of the Open Society Foundation, she is producing a two-hour radio documentary telling the audio stories of men and women convicted of murder which will air nationally in 2012. She is a member of the Society for Professional Journalists, the Association of Independents in Radio, and the International Women’s Media Foundation. In 2011, Mullane was the recipient of a National Edward R. Murrow Award. More information about Mullane and her work can be heard online in an archived episode of Public Radio International’s This American Life.

A lunch reception and book signing will follow the event. This event is sponsored by Penn State Law and the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, Penn State Law Chapter.