Cynthia Jones
Associate Professor of Law
Office: Room 396
Phone: 202-274-4416
E-mail: cejones@wcl.american.edu
Cynthia Jones has been a full-time member of the WCL faculty since 2004. She holds expertise and teaches in criminal law; criminal procedure; evidence; and Race, Crime and Politics. She has made various presentations in the areas of ethnic and racial justice, racial profiling, and the juvenile death penalty. Cynthia was an associate at the law firm of Dickstein, Shapiro and Morin from 1990 through 1992. She has served as an adjunct instructor at AU Washington College of Law, UDC, and George Washington University. Previously, she was staff attorney at D.C. Public Defender Service; deputy director of the D.C. Pretrial Services Agency and executive director of the D.C. Public Defender Service. She has lectured extensively on criminal law and sentencing issues.
Currently Teaching
Areas of Specialization
- Criminal Law and Procedure
- Wrongful Convictions
Degrees & Universities
- J.D., American University Washington College of Law 1989 (magna cum laude)
- B.A., University of Delaware 1986
Selected Publications
- Cynthia Jones, Evidence Destroyed, Innocence Lost: The Preservation of Biological Evidence under Innocence Protection Statutes, 42 Am. Crim. L. Rev. 1239 (2005).
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Selected Works in Progress- Cynthia Jones Protecting the Evidence of Innocence: Sanctions and Remedies for the Destruction of Forensic Evidence ( forthcoming) ().
- Cynthia Jones Is Justice Delayed, Justice Denied: the Compromised Adjudication of Cold Case Prosecutions ( forthcoming) ().
- Cynthia Jones Peacemakers, Aggressors and Agitators: Surrendering Self-Defense by Returning to the Scene of the Crime ( forthcoming) ().
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Selected Presentations
- Cynthia Jones, Moderator, Prosecutorial Misconduct (American Prosecutor: Power Discretion and Accountability, American Constitution Society, Wash., D.C., Oct. 26, 2007).
- Cynthia Jones, Speech, An Introduction to Criminal Law and Procedure (The National Youth Leadership Forum, Oct. 2005).
- Cynthia Jones, Speech, Trial Skills: Effective Examination of Witnesses (Public Defender Service, Wash., D.C., Oct. 2005).
- Cynthia Jones, Panelist, Looking Ahead at the New Supreme Court Term (American University Washington College of Law, Wash., D.C., Sept. 2005).
- Cynthia Jones, Speech, Opening Statements (Criminal Justice Clinic, Howard University School of Law, Wash., D.C., Aug. 2005).
- Cynthia Jones, Speech, Trial Skills Workshop (Georgia Public Defender Standards Council, July 2005).
- Cynthia Jones, Panelist, The Law of Sentencing after Blakley (Southeastern Association of Law Schools Annual Conference, July 2005).
- Cynthia Jones, Moderator, The Death Penalty (People of Color Legal Scholarship Conference, Wash., D.C., Oct. 2004).
- Cynthia Jones, Lecture, The Law of Evidence in the District of Columbia (Public Defender Service, Wash., D.C., Oct. 2004).
- Cynthia Jones, Moderator, Racial Justice: Indigent Defense Reform (American Bar Association Annual Conference, Atlanta, Ga., Aug. 2004).
- Cynthia Jones, Lecture, Racial Profiling (Southeastern Association of Law Schools Annual Conference, S.C., July 2004).
- Cynthia Jones, Lecture, Testimony in DC Superior Court (DC Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, Wash., D.C., 2004).
- Cynthia Jones, Lecture, Race, Racism and the Law (Mid Atlantic People of Color Conference, Balt., Md., Jan. 2004).
- Cynthia Jones, Panelist, Overcriminalization: The Politics of Crime (American University Law Review, the Heritage Foundation and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Wash., D.C., 2004).
- Cynthia Jones, Panelist, Gideon Hearings on the State of Indigent Defense (National Legal Aide and Defender Association (NLADA) Annual Conference, Milwaukee, Wis., 2004).
- Cynthia Jones, Panelist, The Juvenile Death Penalty in the US Supreme Court, the Constitution Project (American University Washington College of Law, Wash., D.C., 2004).
- Cynthia Jones, Panelist, American Bar Association Indigent Defense Hearings (National Legal Aid and Defender Conference, 2003).
- Cynthia Jones, Lecture, Criminal Trial Practice in District of Columbia Superior Court (Howard University, Wash., D.C., 2003).
- Cynthia Jones, Panelist, Department of Justice National Symposium on Indigent Defense (Deptartment of Justice, Wash., D.C., 2002).
- Cynthia Jones, Panelist, American Bar Assocaition Standards for Public Defense Agenices (National Legal Aid and Defense Conference, 2002).
- Cynthia Jones, Testimony, Testified before the House of Representatives, Sub-Committe on the Distict of Columbia, Criminal Justice Policy Coordination (Wash., D.C., 2001).
- Cynthia Jones, Panelist, District of Columbia Bar, Criminal Law & Individual Rights Section, Annual Symposium on Criminal Law (District of Columbia Bar, Wash., D.C., 2001).
- Cynthia Jones, Lecture, From Arrest to Sentencing in the District of Columbia (Pretrial Sevices Agency Annual Training Program, 1997-2001).
- Cynthia Jones, Lecture, The Legal Standards for Revocation of Community Supervision (Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, Probation and Parole Officers Training Program, 1998).
- Cynthia Jones, Presentation, Voir Dire and Jury Selection (Public Defender Service, Criminal Practice Institute, 1997).