Innocence Blog

Friday Roundup: Independence and Freedom

Posted: July 2, 2010 1:43 pm

Leading into Independence Day weekend, Linda Cronin-Gross writes at the Huffington Post about Stephen Kiernan’s book “Authentic Patriotism,” and the work of individuals and organizations working to make American better. We were honored to be included in Kiernan’s book – he wrote about his experience with the Innocence Project on our blog when the book was released last month.

An editorial in today’s Detroit Free Press says Michigan is risking wrongful convictions by failing to improve its public defense system: “It's time to fix Michigan's unconstitutional, costly and morally indefensible system of injustice,” the editorial reads. We wrote about bad defense and wrongful convictions yesterday.

A groundbreaking package of criminal justice reforms went into effect in Ohio on Tuesday. The measures, passed by the legislature this spring, will help free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions and apprehend true perpetrators of crime.

New York exoneree Anthony Capozzi settled a lawsuit against the state for $4.25 million for the two decades he spent in prison after he was wrongfully convicted of raping two women in 1987.  He was exonerated in 2007.

Florida’s new Actual Innocence Commission is taking shape, as Innocence Project of Florida Executive Director Seth Miller writes on the group’s blog.

Two crime labs that Georgia had slated to close will stay open to ensure that investigations are unhindered, the Associated Press reported today.