The combination provided public defenders assistance and students hands on experience. This semester, Reid leads 12 students in an interactive law study on the death penalty. Students will participate in pre-trial research, jury selection, evidence collection and courtroom mitigation of a death penalty case. To realize that these are real people has a very sobering result on the work. Unlike normal classroom work, Reid's assignments have faces.
Students meet the defendant after finishing preliminary research.
Aside from personalizing students' work, clients become an element in their cases. But they seemed to appreciate our involvement because we offered more help than they previously had. Texas death row inmates fit a description of being male, a minority and poor. The financial situation they are in prevents many from seeking legal council. Reid's students work along side public defenders preparing the cases to help assure a fair trial.