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The Innocence Project Online - June 2010
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 Did Texas Execute an Innocent Man? Congress is Listening: Take Action Today N.J. Eyewitness Decision Could Have National Impact Why I Give: A Donor Profile  News from the innocence movement around the United States  "Conviction" Set for Fall Release  A feature film, starring Hilary Swank, about the wrongful conviction of Kenneth Waters in Massachusetts and his sister’s two-decade quest to set him free is set for release October 15. Watch the trailer on our website.  Cleared After 25 Years Douglas Pacyon became the 255th person exonerated through DNA testing nationwide this month when DNA tests proved his innocence of a 1984 rape. He spent six years in prison before he was released. "Every day, I just thought maybe I'll get to court today and prove my innocence," he told the Buffalo News. Read more.   After Two Decades, DNA Tests Ordered A decision last week from the Louisiana Supreme Court cleared the way for DNA testing in the case of Innocence Project client Kenneth Reed, who has been in prison since 1991 for a rape he says he didn’t commit. The Innocence Project will pay for DNA testing in the case. Read more.  Another Look at a Death Row Case A federal judge in Georgia heard two days of testimony last week in the case of Troy Davis, who has been on the state’s death row since 1991 for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Seven of nine witnesses who testified against Davis at trial have since recanted. In an extremely rare decision last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the lower court to hold hearings to consider new evidence in the case. Read more.  Former Detective Convicted in Torture Case Former Chicago Police Detective Jon Burge was convicted by a federal jury on June 28 of lying about his role in the torture of criminal suspects during his two decades with the department. Several people convicted based on confessions coerced by Burge have since been cleared. Burge now faces up to 45 years in prison. Read more.
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Did Texas Execute an Innocent Man?  DNA testing is moving forward in the case of Claude Jones, who was executed in 2000 in Texas for a murder he always said he didn’t commit. The Innocence Project has sought DNA testing in the case for years, and this month a Texas judge ordered the state to preserve the evidence so testing can proceed. The tests, on a hair from the crime scene, could prove whether the perpetrator was Jones or another man.(Above: Jones and his mother two years before he was executed.) A recent feature in Time Magazine explored the Jones case, which could potentially be the first time a person has been proven innocent through DNA after being executed. Prosecutors had sought to dismiss the case and destroy the evidence, but the court decision means it could be tested within 60 days. "We have said all along that this case is about a search for the truth and the public’s right to know. We are very pleased that the court agrees with this objective," Innocence Project Co-Director Barry Scheck said following the court’s ruling. Read more about Jones’ case. Post to Facebook — Tweet This Article Congress is Listening: Take Action Today  A proposal under consideration by Congress would create a federal commission to examine our criminal justice system and recommend reforms to address inequality and injustice. Last week, Innocence Project supporters across the country called Senate leaders to urge them to support the commission. The offices of Senate leaders told us they were hearing you loud and clear, but to make this important commission a reality, we need to keep the pressure on. Will you write to your representatives today? The proposed Criminal Justice Commission is championed by Virginia Senator Jim Webb, but it has gained wide support from both parties, with dozens of co-sponsors in the Senate and House. The bill would create a panel of experts to review all aspects of the criminal justice system and recommend bi-partisan, consensus-based reform. This is especially important to the Innocence Project, because such a group could review the leading causes of wrongful convictions and recommend critical reforms to prevent future injustice.  Learn more about the commission and take action here. Post to Facebook — Tweet This N.J. Eyewitness Decision Could Have National Impact 
A landmark decision handed down last week in New Jersey calls for an overhaul of the legal standards for eyewitness testimony in the state and could have implications nationwide. A special judge appointed by the New Jersey Supreme Court spent months hearing evidence from the Innocence Project and others on the problems associated with human memory and eyewitness identification. His report, issued on June 21, finds serious "flaws and inadequacies" in the current standards for eyewitness testimony, and draws heavily on research and evidence presented by the Innocence Project. The report was ordered by the New Jersey Supreme Court as it reviewed State v. Henderson, an appellate case hinging on eyewitness testimony. The state currently uses the same eyewitness guidelines as 47 other states and the federal government, and the new report could lead to changes in legal procedures across the country. Eyewitness misidentification was a factor in 75 percent of wrongful convictions overturned through DNA testing to date. Learn more about the Henderson case and the Innocence Project’s recommendations to prevent misidentifications. Post to Facebook — Tweet This Article
Why I Give: Howard Pavane
There are grave inequalities in our criminal justice system, and they are deeply ingrained. Something is very wrong in a country with 1% of its population behind bars, and we all know that this 1% is not a cross-section of the American people — it is heavily skewed toward the poor and people of color. Something must be done about this, but it’s a sprawling, slow-moving system and change can be daunting. This is where the Innocence Project comes in. |
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