 |
|
The Innocence Project Online - February 2010
 |
||||||||
 250 Reasons for Reform Walking Free, From North Carolina to Washington Ohio Nears Finish Line on Major Reform Why I Give: A Donor Profile
|
|
250 Reasons for Reform  In a landmark moment for the American criminal justice system, Innocence Project client Freddie Peacock this month became the 250th person exonerated through DNA testing. People throughout the country celebrated his exoneration, but his case is also a sobering reminder of the need for reform nationwide. Peacock (above left, with Innocence Project Co-Director Peter Neufeld) was convicted in 1976 of a rape he didn’t commit based on an eyewitness misidentification and a false confession he allegedly gave during a police interrogation. Peacock has a mental illness and was particularly susceptible to falsely confess, but his interrogation was not recorded and much of it was conducted without a lawyer or advocate present. Neufeld said last week that we must learn from Peacock’s case, and reforms are already taking root in the wake of his exoneration. Last week, the New York City Police Department announced that it will begin a pilot project to record interrogations. A pending bill in Ohio would require that some interrogations in the state be recorded. More than 500 jurisdictions nationwide already record interrogations, a safeguard that helps prevent wrongful convictions, improve the reliability of confessions as evidence and create opportunities for police training. Hundreds of Innocence Project supporters have sent letters to local newspapers following the 250th exoneration, calling for comprehensive reforms — including recording of interrogations — to prevent future injustice. Send your letter now. Post to Facebook — Tweet This Article Walking Free, From North Carolina to Washington 
Innocent people across the country continue gaining their freedom and starting down the long road to rebuild lives shattered by wrongful convictions. In the last two weeks, two men represented by Innocence Network organizations were finally cleared after years of fighting to overturn their wrongful convictions. Ted Bradford was acquitted in Washington State and fully cleared of a rape DNA shows he didn’t commit. The Innocence Project Northwest worked on Bradford’s case since 2001, and obtained DNA testing on his behalf indicating that another man had committed the rape for which Bradford was convicted in 1996. Prosecutors refused to drop the charges and proceeded to retry him. He was acquitted last week by a jury. Gregory Taylor was freed from prison last week in North Carolina after serving 17 years for a murder that evidence now shows he didn’t commit. He was represented by attorneys at the North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence, and was the first person cleared through the procedure of the North Carolina Actual Innocence Commission. "North Carolina’s commission is an important model for the adjudication of innocence claims," Innocence Project Co-Director Barry C. Scheck told the New York Times. "In the American court system, there are normally procedural bars that get in the way of litigating whether someone is innocent or not." Pictured: Gregory Taylor, Pool Photo, Shawn Rocco Post to Facebook — Tweet This Article Ohio Nears Finish Line on Major Reform A bipartisan bill addressing several major causes of injustice in Ohio is just one step away from becoming law — but it is stalled on the desk of the state's Speaker of the House. SB 77 would make major inroads against wrongful convictions in Ohio by improving eyewitness identification procedures, requiring interrogations to be recorded and improving the preservation of evidence, among other measures. The bill passed the State Senate with a 32-1 vote and Gov. Ted Strickland has said he will sign it. Innocence Project supporters in Ohio are sending emails to their representatives this week urging them to call for a vote on this bill. Could you take two minutes to forward this action alert to your friends in Ohio? Post to Facebook — Tweet This Article Why I Give: Ricardo Perez-Almanzar High School Teacher Bridgeport, CT
The cases of the exonerated just resonate with me, and I think they connect with most people who hear them. They speak to our inner selves and our innate sense of justice. It's impossible to imagine the sense of despair that a person must endure — trapped in a prison, forgotten and voiceless. My monthly donation is small, but it's a long-term commitment. I hope someday I'm able to give more, but for now I'm proud that I'm able to give a little bit and talk about this important project with my friends, colleagues and students. One of the scariest things about wrongful conviction is that it could happen to any of us. And If we don't stand up for justice, who will? Please join me today in making a monthly pledge to support the great work of the Innocence Project. |
||||||
 |
||||||||
