New York Case Sparks Calls for Reform

Posted: December 1, 2008 12:34 pm

Steven Barnes’ release last week after nearly two decades in prison has prompted renewed calls for reforms in New York to help overturn wrongful convictions and free the innocent. For the last two years, lawmakers have introduced bills including several critical reforms supported by the Innocence Project, and the bills have gained increasing support but have not become law. An editorial in yesterday’s Buffalo News says 2009 is the time to make these reforms reality.

From yesterday’s Buffalo News:

It is not specifically the fault of state legislators that, at least 24 times in recent years, state criminal courts have convicted innocent people, including Anthony Capozzi and Lynn DeJac, both of Buffalo. But it is emphatically their fault that the state’s criminal justice system continues to operate in largely the same way as when it produced these wrongful convictions.

It doesn’t have to be that way. New York can reform witness identification procedures. It can require the video recording of custodial interrogations, thereby reducing the peculiar but nonetheless real phenomenon of false confessions. Instead, it has done nothing.

Scheck said that vacating Barnes’ conviction righted what was one in “a long line of wrongful convictions based on improper or invalid forensic science.”

“Until there are clear national standards about what kind of forensic science can be allowed in court, more people like Steven Barnes will be wrongfully convicted while the actual perpetrators of violent crimes remain at large,” he said.

Learning the Lessons of the Barnes Case

Posted: December 15, 2008 5:10 pm

Innocence Project client Steven Barnes spent nearly two decades behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit before DNA testing proved his innocence. He was released two days before Thanksgiving and he spent the holiday with his family for the first time in two decades.

Now that he’s free, New York lawmakers are considering reforms to ensure that wrongful convictions like his will never happen again. In an op-ed in yesterday’s Utica Observer-Dispatch, Innocence Project Policy Director Stephen Saloom wrote that there’s hope for passing critical reforms to prevent injustice in the state:

A comprehensive package of common-sense remedies proven to decrease the potential for wrongful convictions was seriously considered in the last legislative session in Albany – but like so many other bills was waylaid by the gubernatorial change.

The New York State Bar Association recognized the unmet need, however, and has convened a Blue Ribbon Task Force on Wrongful Convictions, which is expected to issue its recommendations soon. The Oneida County Bar Association, too, has demonstrated a strong commitment to learning from wrongful convictions in order to prevent them.

This year, the Legislature must pass reforms to increase the accuracy of the criminal justice system. The only thing worse than the injustice the Barnes family – as well as the victim’s family and the community – has endured would be a failure to learn the lessons of this miscarriage of justice and prevent it from happening again.

Read the full story here. (Utica Observer-Dispatch, 12/13/08)

Tags: Steven Barnes

 

The Ripple Effects of the Madoff Scandal - and What We Can do to Help

Posted: December 16, 2008 4:12 pm

By Maddy deLone, Innocence Project Executive Director
Cross-Posted from Huffington Post

While many people are shocked by the news of Bernard Madoff's apparent Ponzi scheme affecting as much as $50 billion from a range of investors, Steven Barnes is focused on rebuilding his life and navigating a changed world.

Two days before Thanksgiving, Barnes was released from prison in Upstate New York after serving nearly 20 years for a rape and murder he didn't commit. He was freed when DNA testing, secured by the Innocence Project, proved his innocence. Since then, he has spent time with friends and family - particularly his mother, Sylvia, who woke up every day for two decades focused on securing her son's freedom.

The Innocence Project spent nearly $20,000 for the DNA testing that led to Barnes' release. We represented him for several years, spending tens of thousands of dollars in attorney salaries and fees associated with his case. As in all of our work, we were able to fight for Steven Barnes with the support of dedicated individuals and foundations. This week, we learned that one of our important supporters, the venerable JEHT Foundation, is suspending grant-making and closing it doors. Madoff managed the finances of the family who funded JEHT, so the family no longer has money for the foundation to distribute.

The roster of organizations supported by the JEHT Foundation is long and impressive. The Center for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights Watch, Physicians for Human Rights and dozens of other vital organizations are losing a critical source of support.

In a time when many wonder what the public can do to help address the national economic uncertainty, the Madoff scandal brings at least part of the answer: Donate today to organizations that are losing critical support as a result of this scandal. You can click here to donate to the Innocence Project; all donations this month will be matched, dollar for dollar, by other supporters. Click here to find other nonprofit organizations impacted by Madoff, and go to one or more of those organizations' websites to donate today.

For our part, the Innocence Project will continue building on our successes. Obviously, the loss of a foundation that supported us so generously will hurt us, but it's not catastrophic. The JEHT Foundation's great legacy is that it helped the Innocence Project and other organizations become more self-sufficient; over the last four years, the foundation focused on helping us diversify our base of donors so that we draw support from more individuals and other foundations. Now, in the midst of the critical holiday fundraising season, we are optimistic that even more individual donors will step up and help us move forward.

That's what each of us can do -- not just to offset the losses of the Madoff scandal, but to make sure that other innocent people like Steven Barnes do not spend another holiday in prison for crimes they didn't commit.

You can comment on this post at HuffingtonPost.com.

Hearing Tomorrow Could Exonerate Steve Barnes of All Charges

Posted: January 8, 2009 2:30 pm

After serving nearly 20 years in prison for a rape and murder he didn't commit, Innocence Project client Steven Barnes may be fully exonerated tomorrow. Barnes and Innocence Project Staff Attorney Alba Morales will appear in Oneida County court tomorrow in Utica.

Barnes was released from prison in late November after DNA testing showed he is innocent. His conviction was vacated, but the indictment against him was not dismissed, meaning he could be retried for the crime at any time. The Oneida County District Attorney’s Office, with cooperation from the Innocence Project, has been reinvestigating the case since Barnes was released. 

If the indictment against Barnes is dismissed, he will become the 227th person exonerated by DNA evidence.

Barnes' conviction is just one example of how improper or invalid forensic science can lead to wrongful convictions. His conviction was largely based on unvalidated forensic science, including soil comparison and analysis of an imprint allegedly left on the outside of Barnes’ truck by the victim’s jeans. He was found guilty of second-degree murder, rape and sodomy of a teenage girl 1985. However, test results conducted last year on materials collected from the victim’s body and clothing did not match Barnes, which led to his release from prison in November and tomorrow’s hearing that may exonerate him officially.

We’ll post more on the blog tomorrow after the hearing.

Read more on the Barnes case on the Innocence Blog.

Today’s news coverage of Barnes’ case:

Utica Observer Dispatch: Barnes’ charges to be dismissed Friday in teen's '85 murder

WKTV: Friday hearing could exonerate Steven Barnes for 1985 rape and murder

Tags: New York, Forensic Oversight, Steven Barnes

 

Steven Barnes Officially Exonerated in New York

Posted: January 9, 2009 4:30 pm

Steven Barnes was able to spend the holidays with his family for the first time in almost 20 years when DNA testing proved that he did not commit a murder for he was convicted in 1989. Even though he was released as a result of the testing, the state said the charges against Barnes would stay until further investigation.

At a hearing this morning in Utica, New York, Barnes was officially exonerated when the county apologized for his wrongful conviction and the court lifted the original indictment. Barnes is the 227th person to be exonerated by DNA evidence and is the 24th in New York.

Read the Innocence Project's press release here.

Highlights of today’s news coverage of Barnes’ case:

Utica Observer-Dispatch: It's official: Barnes exonerated on all charges

Associated Press: Wrongly jailed NY man formally cleared of murder

WKTV: Steven Barnes fully exonerated for 1985 rape and murder 

 

Tags: New York, Eyewitness Identification, Forensic Oversight, Informants/Snitches, Steven Barnes

 

Friday Roundup: Cases in Motion

Posted: February 27, 2009 5:30 pm

A North Carolina judge denied prisoner Ronnie Long access to a new trial for a 1976 rape he has always maintained he didn’t commit. The North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence represents Long and has argued that evidence before his conviction should have cleared him.

A judge ordered DNA testing this week in the case of Esdras Cardona, a client of the Innocence Project of Florida.

Exoneree Steve Barnes spoke Tuesday in Albany before a New York State Bar committee investigating wrongful convictions and reforms to prevent future injustice. "I always believed in the system but the system failed me," Barnes said. Innocence Project Policy Director Stephen Saloom also testified about reforms supported the by the Innocence Project.

The Mississippi House of Representatives is considering a bill that would require law enforcement agencies to preserve DNA evidence in criminal convictions as long as the convicted person is incarcerated or under state supervision.

Exonerees, attorneys, students and policymakers from around the country will come together in Houston next month for the annual Innocence Network Conference. Learn more about the three-day event and register to attend here.

Tags: North Carolina, Steven Barnes

 

Friday Roundup: Fighting for Freedom

Posted: March 6, 2009 6:00 pm

News from around the country that we didn't get to on the Innocence Blog this week:

An Ohio man could be freed as early as Tuesday, nearly 25 years after being convicted of a rape DNA now proves he didn’t commit. A joint project between the Ohio Innocence Project and the Columbus Dispatch led to DNA testing in the case of Joseph R. Fears, Jr., who was convicted of an Ohio rape in 1984. A judge today called for a hearing in his case Tuesday. Stayed tuned to the Innocence Blog for developments.

Innocence Project Staff Attorney Craig Cooley argued this week in a Pennsylvania court for DNA testing in the case of client Robert Conway.

A federal judge in California said Bruce Lisker was wrongfully convicted of stabbing his mother in 1983 and should be set free or retried.

The Innocence Project of Florida is seeking a new trial on behalf of Billy Joe Holton after DNA results in the case excluded him as a possible contributor of evidence at the crime scene.

And a Detroit man who has spent 36 years in prison for a murder he says he didn’t commit is seeking a new trial with the help of Proving Innocence and the Association in Defense of the Wrongly Convicted.

The systemic failures that caused many of these wrongful convictions are still present today and continuing to cause injustice. Exonerees, organizations and lawmakers were working this week to fix the system:

An editorial in Colorado called on lawmakers to protect the advances they made last year on the preservation of DNA evidence.

The Pennsylvania Innocence Project has officially opened its doors at Temple University School of Law – filling a crucial need in planning to handle wrongful conviction cases in the state.

Just 16 days after he was released from prison, Joshua Kezer told an audience at the University of Missouri about his wrongful conviction and release. He was joined by exoneree Dennis Fritz.

Recent exoneree William Dillon will speak tomorrow in Florida.

New York DNA Exoneree Steven Barnes began this week working for Oneida County Workforce Development, helping released prisoners find work and housing. He told WKTV that “to come out into the community and try to get out on the right foot sometimes...you need assistance and help."

 

Tags: William Dillon, Dennis Fritz, Evidence Preservation

 

New York Lags on Reforms

Posted: June 8, 2009 6:35 pm

An Innocence Project report released today finds that New York outpaces almost every other state in the number of wrongful convictions overturned by DNA testing but has fallen behind others in reforms to prevent future injustice. And diverse voices across the state have called on lawmakers to act this session to address wrongful convictions.

Westchester Journal News columnist Noreen O’Donnell wrote today that it would be a shame if reforms were delayed again in New York by further study. Sylvia Barnes Bouchard, the mother of New York exoneree Steven Barnes, wrote in the Syracuse Post-Standard that the injustice suffered by her son – and his family – can be avoided by critical reforms.

Right now, Gov. David Paterson and leaders in the state Legislature are deciding whether to make our justice system more fair, accurate and reliable so that law enforcement can identify the guilty and protect the innocent. The current legislative session ends later this month, and our elected officials can adopt critical reforms before then to prevent wrongful convictions that devastate individuals' lives, families and entire communities.Steven is one of 24 people in New York wrongfully convicted and then exonerated with DNA testing. These cases are just the tip of the iceberg, since DNA testing is possible in just a tiny fraction of cases. But the exonerations show how our criminal justice system has failed, and how it can be fixed.Read her full column here. (Syracuse Post-Standard, 06/07/09)

And individuals across the state are writing to state leaders urging them to take action on these reforms during this session. If you’re in New York, please write to your lawmakers now.

Tags: Steven Barnes

 

Forensics Series Continues Tonight on CNN

Posted: August 20, 2009 3:15 pm

CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” has been investigating questions about forensic disciplines in a special series on forensics this week. Last night, CNN contributor Sanjay Gupta visited the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab to report on hair analysis, bullet analysis and DNA testing practices. Watch video of his visit here.

And CNN medical producer Stephanie Smith posted on the AC360 blog today about Innocence Project client Steven Barnes and the role of unvalidated forensics in wrongful convictions.

The show continues tonight at 10 p.m. ET with a report on Dr. Steven Hayne in Mississippi, who has been accused of reaching conclusions that go beyond science to fit what prosecutors need to secure convictions. Tonight's broadcast will feature an interview with Tyler Edmonds, who was sentenced to death row partly as a result of Hayne's testimony. Edmonds was released after the Mississippi Supreme Court threw out his conviction -- in a ruling that called Hayne's testimony "scientifically unfounded."

Two Innocence Project clients were exonerated last year after Hayne's testimony contributed to their wrongful convictions; read more about their cases here.

Learn about recommendations for forensic reform and take action at the Just Science website.

Tags: Steven Barnes, Kennedy Brewer, Forensic Oversight, Unvalidated/Improper Forensics

 

You Can Free the Innocent

Posted: September 11, 2009 4:10 pm

This week at the Innocence Project, we kicked off a campaign to raise $25,000 in the next two weeks for DNA testing in our clients’ cases. We currently have more than 250 active cases, and we’re committed to paying for DNA testing whenever it has the potential to prove innocence in a client’s case. We can’t do it without your help, however. Please donate today – 100% of gifts between now and September 23 will go toward DNA testing for our clients.

We spend about $8,500 on DNA testing in an average case, but some cases can cost much more than that. Multiple pieces of crime scene evidence often need to be tested, and sometimes retested using cutting-edge technologies.

Steven Barnes was exonerated earlier this year after spending nearly two decades behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit. Complicated DNA testing in his case finally proved his innocence, but it cost over $20,000 to complete. We couldn’t have freed Steven without the support of generous Innocence Project donors, and we truly appreciate the help we receive from around the world.

Please donate today to help overturn wrongful convictions through DNA testing.

Help us spread the word:


Share the campaign link on Facebook.

Post the campaign link to Twitter.

Tags: Steven Barnes

 

One Year Later, Still Discovering Freedom

Posted: November 25, 2009 1:25 pm

A year ago today, Steve Barnes walked out of an upstate New York courtroom a free man for the first time in more than two decades. Today, as the Utica Observer-Dispatch reports in a feature story, Barnes is building a new life and making the most of every day.

Barnes says he didn’t let himself become bitter over the past as he spent the past year discovering a new world beyond the gates of prison. He knows he’ll never be able to salvage the years he lost, but that hasn’t stopped him from making the best of every day he’s had since Nov. 25, 2008.

For Barnes, that’s meant earning a driver’s license, getting a job with Oneida County Workforce Development, getting his own apartment along River Road, starting a relationship, and just getting behind the wheel of his new Toyota Tundra truck to drive as far as he wants.

“The main thing is to just go out and do my own thing, and not be told what to do,” Barnes said.

Just like the song that has become Barnes’s favorite since being freed: Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’.”

Then, with a snap of his finger, Barnes said, “This year went by like that.”

Read the full story. (Utica Observer-Dispatch, 11/21/2009)

News 10 Syracuse also aired a story today on the first anniversary of Barnes’ freedom – watch here.

Barnes was convicted in 1989 in Oneida County, New York of a murder he didn’t commit, based on questionable eyewitness identifications, informant testimony and unvalidated forensics.

The Innocence Project began representing Barnes in 1993, the organization’s second year of existence, and secured DNA testing on his behalf in 1996. Unfortunately, DNA testing technology was still in its infancy and the results were inconclusive. It would be another decade before the Innocence Project reopened the case and obtained access to retesting. Y-STR tests, a newly developed technology, revealed a profile of the perpetrator, proving Barnes’ innocence.  Based on these results, his conviction was tossed out and he was freed November 25, 2008.

Photo: Utica Observer-Dispatch
 

Tags: Steven Barnes

 

Improper Forensics and Two Decades in Prison

Posted: January 8, 2010 10:40 am



In 1989, Steven Barnes was convicted of the rape and murder of 16-year-old Kimberly Simon in Utica, New York. The prosecution's case against Barnes was based in part on unvalidated and improper forensic science.  After serving almost two decades in prison, Barnes was officially exonerated one year ago this week  

Today, Barnes works helps oversee a youth program for his county's workforce development office and recently moved into his own apartment. He frequently speaks to community groups and policymakers about the importance of addressing the causes of wrongful conviction to prevent injustice.

Faulty forensics were a central cause of Barnes' wrongful conviction. Three types of forensic evidence were used against Barnes:  fabric print analysis, soil comparison, and microscopic hair analysis.  None of these three techniques has been proven in empirical studies to be reliable and aspects of this evidence clearly misled the jury in Barnes' case.

The fabric print analysis allegedly linked the victim's unusual jeans to a dust print on the outside of Barnes' truck, but the methods used to determine a link were unproven and unreliable. Soil from Barnes truck was chemically compared to soil at the crime scene, but technicians didn't offer an analysis of whether the soil in either sample was particularly unique.

Testimony regarding microscopic hair comparisons in particular can mislead juries to believe that a similarly is actually a "match." According to a report released in 2009 by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), "No scientifically accepted statistics exist about the frequency with which particular characteristics of hair are distributed in the population.  There appears to be no uniform standards on the number of features on which hairs must agree before an examiner may declare a 'match.'"  Nearly one in five wrongful convictions overturned through DNA testing involved faulty hair analysis.  

Despite the groundbreaking recent NAS report on forensic science, there remains a grievous lack of oversight of crime labs across the country.  Moreover, methodologies and standards vary by examiner. Countless innocent people have been sent to prison in the U.S. based on faulty forensics while the real perpetrators of crimes remain free.  In response, the Innocence Project, spearheading the Just Science Coalition, has developed a plan for reform that includes the creation of a national Office of Forensic Science Improvement and Support (OFSIS).  OFSIS, with input from law enforcement, prosecutors, crime laboratories, the judiciary and the defense bar, will support research in forensics practices, set mandatory accreditation and certification standards and ensure compliance with those standards.

These reforms are critical to prevent future injustices like the one endured by Steven Barnes. Learn more about federal forensic reforms and take action here.

Other Exoneree Anniversaries This Week:

Mark Diaz Bravo, California (Served 3 Years, Exonerated 1/6/94)

David Vasquez, Virginia (Served 4 Years, Exonerated 1/4/89)

Larry Holdren, West Virginia (Served 15 Years, Exonerated 1/4/00)

Tags: Steven Barnes, Forensic Oversight

 

Tune In: Exonerees on Dr. Phil and America’s Most Wanted

Posted: March 10, 2010 4:00 pm

Illinois exoneree Dean Cage will appear on “Dr. Phil” tomorrow, March 11, in a third installment about wrongful convictions.  The host will be checking in with Cage and the victim who misidentified him over a decade ago.  She first identified Cage as her attacker after the police department created a sketch of the perpetrator and then brought Cage to a grocery store so the victim could identify him.  Officers then conducted another lineup at the police station, where the victim identified Cage by the sound of his voice. The show united them on-air last month for the first time since he was wrongfully convicted of a rape he didn’t commit in 1986.  Cage, an Innocence Project client, spent nearly 12 years in prison and was exonerated on May 27, 2008. “Dr. Phil” is a syndicated program; please check your local listings for the station and time.

Read more about Dean Cage’s here.

For more information on the “Dr. Phil” program, click here.

New York exoneree Steven Barnes will be featured on “America’s Most Wanted” this Saturday, March 13.  The program focuses on searching for the real perpetrator in the rape and murder of Kimberly Simon, for which Barnes was wrongfully convicted in 1989. His conviction was the result of eyewitness misidentification and unvalidated forensic science.  The supervising criminalist testified that she conducted a photographic overlay of Simon’s jeans and an imprint on Barnes’ truck and determined the patterns were similar. She also testified that two hairs collected from the truck were similar to the victim’s hairs.  The lab compared soil samples taken from his vehicle with dirt samples from the crime scene a year after the murder and stated that they had similar characteristics.  Fabric print analysis, microscopic hair analysis and soil comparison and have not been scientifically validated. Represented by the Innocence Project, Barnes was exonerated 20 years later on January 9, 2009.  The segment will include interviews with Barnes and his mother, details about his exoneration and information about the unsolved crime.  “Americas Most Wanted” airs Saturday night at 9 p.m. on FOX.

Read more about Steven Barnes case here.

For more information on the program, click here.

Eyewitness misidentification is the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions nationwide, playing a role in more than 75% of convictions overturned through DNA testing. Learn about eyewitness identification reform here.

Unvalidated or improper forensic science is a leading cause of wrongful convictions. In approximately 50% of the DNA exonerations nationwide, unvalidated or improper forensic science contributed to the underlying wrongful conviction. Learn about unvalidated or improper forensic science here.

Tags: Steven Barnes, Dean Cage

 

NY Lawyers Aim to Combat Wrongful Convictions

Posted: June 2, 2010 2:25 pm

The bills were created in response to the recommendations of the state bar’s Task Force on Wrongful Convictions after they examined 53 wrongful conviction cases that led to exonerations. The task force concluded that several factors including eyewitness identification procedures, government practices, mishandling of forensic evidence, false confessions and jailhouse informants, contribute to wrongful convictions.

In a report titled, “Lessons not Learned,” released in 2007, the Innocence Project found that New York  has seen more wrongful convictions overturned through DNA testing than almost any other state, but lags behind most jurisdictions in enacting policy reforms to make the criminal justice system more fair and effective. 

At a press conference today in Albany, exoneree Steven Barnes joined past New York State Bar Association presidents and Senate and Assembly members to present six new bills aimed at protecting New Yorkers from wrongful convictions.

If signed into the law, the new legislation would put in place a series of safeguards that will help prevent future wrongful convictions.

Read more about the wrongful conviction bills here.

Read the “Lessons not Learned”  report here.  (PDF)

 

Friday Roundup: Life After Exoneration

Posted: October 8, 2010 3:11 pm

William Dillon, who spent 26 years behind bars before DNA evidence exonerated him, talks about writing and performing his own songs.

"Conviction" opens next Friday, October 15, in select theaters nationwide. Get advance screening passes here and learn more about the story behind the film.

Tags: Steven Barnes, Joseph White

 

Victim's Family Seeks Answers in Wrongful Conviction Case

Posted: October 25, 2010 4:40 pm

On September 18, 1985, Simon, then 16-years-old, left her home to meet a friend. The next day, her body was found near the side of a dirt road.

Barnes became a suspect based on vague statements from eyewitnesses who claimed to have seen his distinctive truck around the time Simon was last seen alive. 
Since being exonerated, Barnes told the Observer-Dispatch that he continues to have a positive attitude about life despite being wrongfully convicted.

Yet Barnes and his mother, Sylvia Bouchard, still occasionally seethe with resentment toward those investigators with the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office that they blame for ruining Barnes’ life and denying closure for the Simon family.

When someone is wrongfully convicted, the victim and their family are wronged too. In fact, crime victims and their families have become important allies in the fight to prevent wrongful conviction.

Christy Sheppard grew up believing that Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz raped and murdered her cousin Debra Sue Carter. The two had been convicted of the crime in 1988, with Fritz receiving a life sentence and Williamson being sentenced to death. Then, 17 years later, DNA testing exonerated Fritz and Williamson and implicated another man in the crime. Carter’s family didn’t know what to believe. But over time, Sheppard’s disbelief turned into resolve to fix the system. She became part of a growing and critical component of the innocence movement: crime victims and their families who want to address and prevent wrongful convictions.

Read about Christy Sheppard.

Read Barnes’ case profile, and watch a video interview with Barnes below.

Tags: Steven Barnes, Dennis Fritz, Ron Williamson

 

Spending Thanksgiving at Home

Posted: November 25, 2010 9:15 am

And while DNA testing has exonerated 261 people in the U.S., there are countless other innocent people spending today behind bars. The list of cases in which there is no evidence to test, or where access to that evidence has been denied, is seemingly endless. It is impossible to exonerate every innocent person in prison – only through proven reforms can we prevent wrongful convictions from happening in the first place.

This Thanksgiving, we’re thankful for the supporters around the world who help us fight wrongful convictions and for the thousands of advocates fighting injustice in their communities. Please join us today in taking action to overturn injustice and to fix our criminal justice system to prevent wrongful convictions in the future.

Tags: Steven Barnes

 

Friday Roundup: Misconduct, Compensation and the Death Penalty

Posted: January 21, 2011 5:24 pm

Illinois governor Pat Quinn wants to hear from constituents before deciding whether or not to approve a bill abolishing the death penalty. 

A federal judge today sentenced former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge to 4.5 years in prison for perjury relating to his role in the torture of suspects during his 23 years on the force. Several people who were convicted based on confessions coerced  under Burge’s watch have since been cleared.

Paul Hildwin, a Florida death row prisoner, is seeking to have DNA evidence in his case compared to state and federal databases for possible evidence of a different perpetrator. The Innocence Project has consulted on Hildwin’s case for seven years.

Tags: Steven Barnes, Government Misconduct, Death Penalty

 

Exoneree Speaker Steven Barnes Visits Alaska

Posted: November 8, 2011 5:47 pm

Tags: Steven Barnes

 

Panel of Exonerees to Join Barry Scheck at American Chemical Society Conference

Posted: July 31, 2012 5:50 pm

In late August, the 244th American Chemical Society National Meeting will take place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center and include a full presentation on the work of the Innocence Project.
 
The Chemistry and the Law Division of the ACS will discuss how forensic science can play a tragic role in convicting the innocent and hear firsthand from DNA exonerees Steven Barnes, Ray Krone and Raymond Santana about the effects of wrongful conviction. Additionally, Innocence Project Co-Founder Barry Scheck will speak about what should be done to strengthen forensic science.
 
Steven Barnes spent more than 19 years in a New York prisons, Ray Krone was sentenced to death and spent 10 years in Arizona prisons, and Raymond Santana, one of the Central Park Five, spent five years in prison. Unvalidated or improper forensic science played a role in all three convictions which were later overturned when DNA testing proved their innocence.
 
Other panelists include Idaho Innocence Project Director Greg Hampikian and Pennsylvania Innocence Project Legal Director Marissa Boyers Bluestine, who will speak about their work with the wrongfully convicted.
 
The meeting will take place in Philadelphia on August 19-23 with the Innocence Project presentation taking place on Monday, August 20.
 
Read more about the Innocence Project panel.
 
Download a PDF of the final program for the fall 2012 ACS national meeting in Philadelphia, Aug. 19–23.

Tags: Pennsylvania

 

Forensic Scientists Join Innocence Project in Conversation about Wrongful Convictions

Posted: September 11, 2012 5:45 pm

At a recent American Chemical Society (ACS) symposium in Philadelphia, forensic scientists, attorneys and criminal justice reform advocates gathered to discuss how flawed forensic science can lead to wrongful convictions and how to prevent them. The Chemistry and the Law Division of the ACS led the conversation on how forensic science can play a tragic role in convicting the innocent. Exonerees who had been wrongfully convicted based on flawed bite mark analysis, hair microscopy and other unvalidated disciplines spoke about the battle to prove their innocence.
 
DNA testing has undergone thorough scientific vetting but other forensic tests lag behind DNA in several ways and little to no research has been conducted toward standardizing them or defining their error rates, reported Chemical and Engineering News.

In Philadelphia, Innocence Project cofounder Neufeld asked ACS members to get involved in developing standards for forensic science. He also urged ACS to stand behind two bills making their way through Congress that would mandate changes to how forensic science in the U.S. is funded, organized, and regulated. Forensics have been in the federal limelight since a 2009 National Research Council report found much of the science in crime labs wanting (C&EN, June 25, page 32).
 
Change is going to take time for forensic science, says Cedar Crest’s Brettell. “Everybody has the same goals in mind,” he says. But the legal community and the crime labs “are coming from two different directions.”

Read the full article.
 
Watch the ACS President Bassam Z. Shakhashiri and other panelists advocate for forensic science reform.
 
Watch an interview with exoneree Steven Barnes three months after his release from prison.