How Prosecutor Win Rates And Informants Drive Wrongful Murder Convictions
Why are wrongful conviction rates so high in the United State? Some blame the criminal justice system itself, which rewards prosecutors with bonuses, promotions, and sometimes election based on conviction rates. As a result, many prosecutors focus exclusively on winning…
US journalist champions case of wrongly convicted priest Fr Gordon MacRae
Everyday it seems as if more Roman Catholic priests are convicted in terrible crimes. But what if a priest is wrongly convicted? Fr Gordon J MacRae has been serving a 33½-to-67 year sentence in a New Hampshire state prison since…
New trial ordered in Thurston County kidnapping and robbery
A kidnapping trial in the Washington Court of Appeals has been suspended pending a new trial. The court found that Thurston County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney David Bruneau committed misconduct during the closing arguments. Apparently Bruneau presented a powerpoint presentation where…
Fla. police cash force shows forfeiture’s growth
The 30-member police force of Bal Harbour, FL is responsible for $5 million dollars of forfeiture. For many, this success is too good to be true. Tamara Lave, former public defender and law professor, is concerned that “this is a…
Wrongfully Convicted and Seeking Restitution
Robert Dewey is stuck waiting for everything after spending nearly 18 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. His promised food stamps and monthly $698 disability check. It has been 10 months since he was exonerated by…
Wrongly convicted husband says $450,000 payout will help him realize dream
82-year-old Darrel Parker served 14 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of murdering his wife. Not the Nebraska Legislature is finally paying him $450,000 so he can restart his life with his new wife. Read more…
Washington State Court System Hacked
According to a new report, computers from the Washington State Court System we hacked, possibility compromising 160,000 Social Security Numbers. Court administrator Callie T. Dietz commented, “we regret that this breach has occurred and we have taken immediate action to…
Demetrius Smith freed after Innocence Project prompts review of shooting case
Demetrius Smith is now free after a terrifying 5 year ordeal. He pleaded guilty to the shooting of Clyde Hendricks in 2008, a crime he was forced to confess to at risk of another conviction from an earlier crime. He…
On Our Dysfunctional Criminal Justice System
America has a problem. Its not our political system or our citizenry–although both of these groups unknowingly contribute to these problems. In this helpful article, political scientist Stephen M. Krason looks at the dysfunctional criminal justice system in the country…
America’s Prison Guards Are The ‘Ugly Stepchildren’ Of The Criminal Justice System
We hear a lot about the terrible conditions of America’s over filled prisions. Rarely does the media report on the prison guard, those primarily responsible for regulating the control of inmates. The recent events in Baltimore are forcing some to…
Man awarded $5.5M from NY for wrongful conviction
46-year-old Daniel Gristwood was coerced into confessing to the murder of his wife in 1996. Gristwood spent nearly 9 years in prison, all the while claiming his innocence. The state of New York has finally awarded him $5.5 million after…
Rights group seeks halt to placing juveniles on public sex-offender registries
Human Rights Watch has called on governments to stop placing juveniles on sex-offender registries as it may cause irreversible harm for some youths. The sex-offender registry covers everything from rape to indecent exposure. According to Mai Fernandez, a former prosecutor…
6 Police Misconduct Settlements Worth Millions
The LAPD finally settled one of its longstanding misconduct lawsuits. The settlement will cost the city about $4.2 million, a deal prosecutors labeled a bargain. This is one of a number of recent settlements. Read more…
‘Scottsboro Boys’ to Get Posthumous Pardons 80 Years After Falsely Convicted for Raping Two White Women
Last week, the Alabama state congress voted unanimously to posthumously exonerate the infamous ‘Scottsboro Boys.’ The group of 9 black men were falsely accused and convicted of raping two white women in Alabama in the early 1930s. While some may…
2014 trial set for Culpeper misconduct lawsuit
Michael Hash was convicted in the 1996 killing of a 74-year-old Thelma D. Scroggins in 2001. Hash is now suing the Culpeper County sheriff for misconduct after U.S. District Court Judge James Turk overturned his conviction in 2012. Hash served…
Reality Often Rivals Fiction In Political Corruption Scandals
Allegations by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York against corrupt city politicians reveal that real corruption often significantly rivals media portrays, especially in fiction. Take the case of Former GOP Councilman Daniel Halloran, who was arrested…
New York City Prosecutors’ Misconduct Goes Unpunished
A new ProPublica investigation shows that in the state of New York, prosecutorial misconduct nearly always goes unpublished. The report shows there was a single case where a attorney, then Queens Assistant District Attorney, lost their job. However, this was…
New DNA tests in brutal 1982 slaying in St. Louis set the stage for a decisive hearing
New DNA tests show there is nothing linking Rodney Lincoln to the brutal slaying of a mother and her two daughters almost 30 years ago. In fact, no male DNA was found on any of the evidence from the scene,…
Plea Bargain Reached In “Birth Of Innocence” Project
The focus of the long anticipated “Birth of Innocence” documentary was finally resolved in court. In the case United States v. Louis J. Soteriou, the defendant has agreed to accept 18 counts of indictment and 84 months in prison. Soteriou…
