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Pretrial Justice Institute Launches Campaign Featuring Chris Ochoa to End Cash Bail

The Pretrial Justice Institute featured Texas exoneree Chris Ochoa this week in a photo project exposing the devastating effects the cash bail system has on those accused of crimes, especially those already in financial turmoil.

The #unconvictedcampaign includes portraits and interviews with people whose lives were disrupted because they could not pay their bail and had to remain in custody to…

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#criminal law

Judge Kozinski on Myths of Fairness in the Criminal Justice System and Consequences for the Innocent

An edited version of Judge Alex Kozinski’s article “Criminal Law 2.0” appeared in Quartz last Friday outlining myths about the fairness of the U.S. criminal justice system. Chief Judge Kozinski has served on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals since 1985. Judge Kozinski talked about his article and his recommendations for improving the system last Friday as part of a discussion hosted by the…

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#criminal law

Black Students Disproportionately Suspended and Expelled from Schools in the South

A new analysis of federal data found that Southern schools disproportionately suspend and expel African American students at rates higher than their representation in the student population.

Source: Equal Justice Initiative

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#prison

Amelia Boynton Robinson, Matriarch of Voting Rights Movement, Dies at 104

Amelia Boynton Robinson, called the matriarch of the voting rights movement, passed away on Wednesday in Montgomery, Alabama, at age 104.

Source: Equal Justice Initiative

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#prison

Judge Alex Kozinski and Barry Scheck Discuss Criminal Justice Reform at Cardozo Law School

This summer, Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals received national attention for a new article he wrote entitled “Criminal Law 2.0,” that was published in the Georgetown Law Journal. In the piece, he outlines reasons why the country’s criminal justice system needs speedy and comprehensive reform. On Friday, at a talk hosted by the Innocence Project and the Jacob…

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Two Wrongfully Convicted Men Will Sue L.A. County for Police Misconduct

Los Angeles County police may face consequences for their roles in the wrongful conviction of two men who spent decades in prison for crimes they did not commit.

According to the Los Angeles Times, a federal appeals panel ruled Wednesday that Frank O’Connell and Francisco Carrillo, Jr. may sue Los Angeles County after police failed to turn over exonerating evidence in their cases.

O’Connell…

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#criminal law

Undisclosed Evidence May be a Turning Point in Ivan Henry’s Wrongful Conviction Lawsuit

Ivan Henry, a man who was wrongfully convicted of a string of sexual assaults in 1982, is thought to be the first wrongfully convicted person in Vancouver to be forced to sue the province for compensation, according to an article in the Vancouver Sun. Last Friday, on the eve of his trial seeking compensation, Henry inadvertently learned that the woman who first identified him in a photo lineup…

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#criminal law

EJI's History of Racial Injustice Highlight: Police Shootings

On the evening of January 4, 2008, a SWAT team arrived at the Lima, Ohio, home of Tarika Wilson to arrest her boyfriend on suspicion of drug dealing. Officers kicked in the door, entered the home with guns drawn, went upstairs and opened fire in a bedroom where 26-year-old Wilson and her six children were gathered. Police shot and killed Wilson while she was holding her…

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#prison

PA: Former Prosecutor Disbarred for Multiple Acts of Misconduct

A former Venango County prosecutor has been disbarred by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for misconduct in three separate criminal cases along with his failure to participate in the disciplinary proceedings brought against him.

In its extensive findings, the state Supreme Court’s disciplinary board found that James Paul Carbone, 54, had violated seven different state ethics rules, and it…

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#prison

Georgia Innocence Project Requests DNA Testing of Evidence in 38-Year-Old Case

The Georgia Innocence Project will ask a judge today for DNA testing in the case of their client Johnny Lee Gates, who was convicted of armed robbery, rape and murder in 1977.

Gates became a suspect in the 1976 rape and murder of Katharina Wright when he was picked up on an attempted robbery charge the following year. A police informant claimed he loaned Gates the same make and model gun used…

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#criminal law

Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute Will Live Stream Workshops

Next week, the Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute (SAMSI) will be live streaming its opening workshop for the Statistical and Applied Mathematics in Forensics program. Starting on Monday, August 31 and running through Wednesday, September 2, portions of the opening workshop for this program will be offered live. On Monday, the workshop will open with overview lectures by…

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#criminal law

Illegal Racial Discrimination in Jury Selection Documented in Caddo Parish, Louisiana

A study released last week found that prosecutors in Louisiana’s Caddo Parish strike African Americans from jury service at three times the rate they strike non-African Americans, leading to the significant underrepresentation of African Americans on juries.

Source: Equal Justice Initiative

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#prison

How the Flawed Science of Bite Mark Analysis Put an Innocent Man behind Bar

An article in the Intercept takes a detailed look at the flawed science of bite mark analysis and the case of Bill Richards, a California man who was convicted in 1997 of murdering his wife, Pamela. Richards’ conviction was primarily based on the testimony of forensic odontologist Dr. Norman Sperber, who concluded that a photograph of a possible bite mark on Pamela’s hand specifically matched…

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PA: Exoneree Files Lawsuit Against Fayette County Prosecutors for Withholding Evidence that Pointed to Innocence

Update – 8.23.2015

On Monday July 20, 2015, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a September ruling by a federal judge that David Munchinski’s lawsuit could proceed against two former prosecutors. The prosecutors, Ralph Warman and Gerald Solomon – now senior judges in Fayette County – are accused of destroying a tape in which a key witness said he had no knowledge of the crime that…

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WA: Newspaper Offers Extraordinary Insight into DA’s Effort to Control Media Coverage

For the last several months we’ve been following developments in Pierce County, where District Attorney Mark Lindquist has faced a barrage of criticism, civil and federal lawsuits, reversed convictions, a whistleblower complaint from a veteran prosecutor, and now a court-approved voter recall effort.

The latest development to call into question Lindquist’s ethical conduct and proper use of public…

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Texas Forensic Science Commission to Investigate Bite Mark Evidence

By Matt Kellner

Matt is a paralegal in the Strategic Litigation Department, where he identifies potential test cases, conducts research, and assists the department’s three attorneys with case-related tasks.

Last Friday, the Texas Forensic Science Commission voted unanimously to investigate the integrity and reliability of bite mark comparison evidence. The Commission’s vote followed a…

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#criminal law

Starbucks Recommends Just Mercy

Starbucks announced this week that it is proudly featuring Just Mercy in its stores this summer as part of its commitment to fostering productive and meaningful conversations about inclusion and diversity.

Source: Equal Justice Initiative

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#prison

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