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The Innocence Project Online - April 2010
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 Texas Panel Finally Turns to Arson Cases Momentum Grows for Improving Eyewitness Identification Procedures 86 Exonerees in One Room Why I Give: A Donor Profile
The fourth annual Innocence Project Celebration of Freedom & Justice is scheduled for May 18, 2010 in New York City.  News from the innocence movement around the United States  Free, After 17 YearsTwo Washington State men were cleared Wednesday after their attorneys at Innocence Project Northwest presented substantial new evidence -- including DNA test results -- pointing to the men's innocence. A state judge vacated the convictions of Larry Davis, who was freed in January after 17 years in prison, and Alan Northrop, who was freed Wednesday. Read more.  DNA Tests Free Two Men Ronald Taylor and George Gould were freed this month in Connecticut after serving 16 years in prison for a murder evidence shows they didn't commit. The men will be forced to wear monitoring bracelets while prosecutors appeal the convictions. Read more.  DNA Tests for Innocence Project Client We reported in our January newsletter on the case of Scott Oliver, an Innocence Project client who has served nearly two decades for a 1991 Pennsylvania rape he says he didn't commit. A state judge has now ordered additional DNA testing that could prove his innocence. Read more.  Progress on Innocence Commission Mike Haridopolos, a Republican state senator, announced that he is seeking to create a state-funded innocence commission in Florida. The commission would review and recommend measures to help free the innocent and find real perpetrators of crimes and identify safeguard to prevent future wrongful convictions. Read more.   Use our easy online form to forward this message to friends, family and colleagues. Connect with other Innocence Project supporters on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube.  
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Texas Panel Finally Turns to Arson Cases  Today, the Texas Forensic Science Commission is finally discussing the case of Cameron Todd Willingham, whose conviction and execution have been the subject of national controversy for months. The Innocence Project, which took the Willingham case to the panel four years ago, is broadcasting today's meeting live online until about 4 p.m. EDT. The full video of the meeting will be archived on our website soon. Willingham was executed in 2004 for allegedly setting a house fire that killed his children. Independent reviews by more than a half-dozen nationally renowned arson experts concluded that there was no scientific basis for determining that the fire was anything more than a tragic accident. The Texas Forensic Science Commission was created by the state legislature in 2005 to investigate allegations of negligence or misconduct that would significantly affect the results of forensic analysis. Willingham's case raises important questions about the integrity of forensic analysis in arson investigations statewide, and those questions have gone unanswered while the Willingham investigation stalled. Learn more about Willingham's case here, and watch the Innocence Blog in the days ahead for more on today's commission meeting and the ongoing effort to improve arson analysis in Texas. Post to Facebook — Tweet This Article Momentum Grows for Improving Eyewitness Identification Procedures 
Ohio Governor Ted Strickland signed one of the nation's most comprehensive criminal justice reform packages into law this month, making the state a national model for preventing and addressing wrongful convictions.(Above, left to right, Rep. Carlton Weddington, Gov. Ted Strickland and Sen. David Goodman.) The new law will make it easier to prove innocence with post-conviction DNA testing and it will help prevent wrongful convictions from happening in the first place. Importantly, the law will improve eyewitness identification procedures statewide -- tackling the leading cause of wrongful convictions that are overturned with DNA testing. The Innocence Project and the Ohio Innocence Project worked for more than two years to pass this groundbreaking legislation. Efforts to improve eyewitness identification procedures are also taking root in other states. Innocence Project staff testified twice in the Rhode Island Legislature this month in support of a bill to improve eyewitness identification procedures, and Brown University hosted a summit on eyewitness identification earlier this week. Legislation to improve the reliability of eyewitness identification is also moving forward in Connecticut and Louisiana, with support, resources and technical assistance from the Innocence Project. In all, 10 states have considered legislation to improve eyewitness identification procedures in the last year. Find out whether your state has passed legislation on this issue and read the Innocence Project's new report outlining why witnesses sometimes identify the wrong person and how states and law enforcement agencies can reduce the risk of misidentifications. Post to Facebook — Tweet This 86 Exonerees in One Room  Hundreds of exonerees, attorneys and advocates from around the world gathered in Atlanta last weekend for the 10th annual Innocence Network conference. The 86 exonerees in attendance including men and women from around the world, represented the largest group ever assembled of people convicted of crimes they didn't commit. The conference opened with an introduction of the exonerated (above), followed by the presentation of the network's first ever awards for journalists and advocates who made significant contributions in helping to overturn and prevent wrongful convictions in 2009. The network's lifetime achievement award was given posthumously to Pete Shellem, a Pennsylvania investigative reporter whose work led to at least five exonerations. Read more about all of the awards. Discussions and sessions throughout the weekend focused on policy and litigation issues -- from preventing false confessions and improving eyewitness procedures to litigating non-DNA cases. A track dedicated to the exonerated led to dozens of productive discussions and the strengthening of networks of exonerees and their family members and supporters. View the full agenda here. Next year's conference, in Cincinnati in April 2011, will have an international scope and feature an exhibit of artwork by exonerated individuals and people who are still in prison. Post to Facebook — Tweet This Article
Why I Give: Joel Lamb Simply put, the Innocence Project is the most worthwhile charity I've ever come across, and I ask you to join me in making a contribution today.
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