Innocence Blog

Friday Roundup: New Year Edition

Posted: January 1, 2010 10:15 am

Happy New Year from all of us at the Innocence Project!

Here’s a holiday edition of the Friday roundup:

An editorial on Sunday in the Washington Post pointed to the recent exonerations of James Bain and Donald Gates, and said" "As appalling as the two cases are, what's even scarier is the thought that imperfections in the criminal justice system will go uncorrected and more people could be wrongly jailed."

A man named Kevin Benefield was arrested in New York on Wednesday and charges with committing the murder for which another man, Kenneth Ireland, served nearly 20 years in prison before he was exonerated this year.

Also in Connecticut, a team of attorneys and forensics experts are beginning a review of hundreds of cases to determine if DNA testing could overturn wrongful convictions.

Maryland's highest criminal court ordered prosecutors to continue searching for biological evidence in the case of a former corrections officer who has served 26 years for a crime he says he didn't commit.

The New York State Bar called on state lawmakers to take decisive action in 2010 to prevent wrongful convictions.

Last week, an Iowa judge ordered a new trial for David Flores, who has served 13 years in prison for a gang-related murder he says he didn't commit.