Search | Wrongly Convicted

U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C. Creates Unit to Investigate Flawed Convictions

Article • August 10, 2016

Filed under: Evidence, DNA Testing/Samples, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment

U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C. Creates Unit to Investigate Flawed Convictions by Derek Gilna The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia has set up the first federal unit nationwide unit to internally identify, investigate, and possible wrongful convictions, U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen Jr. said.  “This new unit will …

Florida Allows Compensation of Wrongfully Convicted Man 25 Years after Release

Article • August 10, 2016

Filed under: Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment

Florida Allows Compensation of Wrongfully Convicted Man 25 Years after Release by David Reutter The Florida Legislature passed a bill in the closing minutes of its 2014 session that allows a man who served 21 years on a wrongful conviction to seek up to $2 million in compensation. James Richardson …

Urban Institute Published Report on Post-Conviction DNA Testing and Wrongful Conviction

Article • August 9, 2016

Filed under: DNA Testing/Samples, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment

Urban Institute Published Report on Post-Conviction DNA Testing and Wrongful Conviction by Paresh Patel For decades, law enforcement investigations used forensic evidence (i.e. fingerprints, DNA, and ballistics) to include or eliminate suspects. Scientific advances and improvement in forensic analysis have helped to exonerate those convicted of serious crimes. In many …

Massachusetts Man's Estate Paid Millions for Wrongful Conviction

Article • August 8, 2016

Filed under: Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment

Massachusetts Man's Estate Paid Millions for Wrongful Conviction by The town of Ayer, Massachusetts, and five insurance companies have agreed to pay the estate of a man who spent 18 years in prison for a murder he did not commit a total of $3.4 million. A sixth insurance company, Western …

Man Nearly Executed, Awarded $14M after Exoneration

Article • August 8, 2016

Filed under: Police Misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Malicious Prosecution, Evidence, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Death Row

Man Nearly Executed, Awarded $14M after Exoneration by A former death row inmate who came within weeks of being executed was awarded $14 million by a federal jury in New Orleans after being cleared of his murder conviction. John Thompson, 40, spent 18 years in prison after being convicted of …

Federal Jury Awards $9 Million to Illinois Man Cleared of Rape He Was Convicted of as Teenager

Article • August 5, 2016

Filed under: Police Misconduct, Sex Offender Registration, Malicious Prosecution, DNA Testing/Samples, Good Time, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Pardons/Clemency, Collateral consequences of prison, Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, Immigration, Due Process

Federal Jury Awards $9 Million to Illinois Man Cleared of Rape He Was Convicted of as Teenager by Alejandro Dominguez, who spent four years in prison for a rape he did not commit, was awarded $9 million by a federal jury after DNA evidence cleared him of the charges. Dominguez, …

DNA Keeps Overturning Convictions, But Spike in Exonerations Owed to Other Factors

Article • August 5, 2016

Filed under: Police Misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, DNA Testing/Samples, Witnesses, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment

DNA Keeps Overturning Convictions, But Spike in Exonerations Owed to Other Factors by Joe Watson Nicole Harris, Henry Lee McCollum and Leon Brown have lived through their own nightmares of injustice. All three were wrongfully convicted of the heinous murders of children. Combined, they spent nearly 70 years in prison …

HRDC Represents Former Illinois Prisoner in Wrongful Conviction Suit

Article • August 2, 2016 • from PLN August, 2016

Filed under: Police Misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Malicious Prosecution, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, PLN Litigation, False Arrest, PLN related

Walker. Walker, 39, a student at Fisk University in Tennessee prior to his wrongful imprisonment, filed a federal civil rights action on July 7, 2016 that accused current and former Chicago police officers ...

$7,000 Settlement after Second Circuit Reverses Dismissal of New York Prisoner’s Suit

Article • August 2, 2016 • from PLN August, 2016

Filed under: Guard Misconduct, Threats by Staff, DOC/BOP misconduct, Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Snitch Jacketing, Malicious Prosecution, Counsel, Failure to Protect (General), Food, Sanitation, Legal Property, Wrongful Imprisonment, Due Process, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Suicides

$7,000 Settlement after Second Circuit Reverses Dismissal of New York Prisoner’s Suit by Derek Gilna In 2007, prisoner Aaron Willey filed a pro se federal civil rights lawsuit against guards employed by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, alleging harassment, inadequate nutrition, theft of legal documents, …

$950,000 Settlement in DC Prisoner’s False Imprisonment Lawsuit

Article • July 29, 2016

Filed under: Jail Misconduct, Deaf Prisoners, Jail Specific, Wrongful Imprisonment, Overdetention

$950,000 Settlement in DC Prisoner’s False Imprisonment Lawsuit by The District of Columbia paid $950,000 to settle the lawsuit of Joseph S. Heard for unlawful imprisonment. On November 15, 1998, Heard, a deaf man, was arrested for unlawful entry into a George Washington University building. The case was dismissed October …

Michigan Man Convicted on Faulty Bite Evidence Receives $1.5 Million

Article • July 29, 2016

Filed under: Evidence, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment

Michigan Man Convicted on Faulty Bite Evidence Receives $1.5 Million by A $1.5 million settlement was reached in a lawsuit brought by a Michigan man who spent 13 years in prison for a rape charge based on faulty bite mark evidence. Two weeks before the case was set to proceed …

Medical Statistical Model Used to Estimate Wrongful Conviction Rate in Death Penalty Cases

Article • July 6, 2016 • from PLN July, 2016

Filed under: Prison Reform, Statistics/Trends, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Death Penalty, Death Row

Medical Statistical Model Used to Estimate Wrongful Conviction Rate in Death Penalty Cases by Matthew Clarke An interesting collaboration between medical and law professionals, under the leadership of University of Michigan Law School professor Samuel R. Gross, led to the application of medical statistical analysis to exonerations of death-sentenced prisoners, …

Crowdfunding Projects Present Opportunities for Prisoners

Article • July 6, 2016 • from PLN July, 2016

Filed under: Prison Labor, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Family, PLN related

Crowdfunding Projects Present Opportunities for Prisoners by Derek Gilna Kickstarter and other crowdfunding websites provide an interesting option for prisoners with imagination and originality to explore career-expanding opportunities, raise money and gain access to a commodity often in short supply behind bars – hope. Basically, crowdfunding involves developing online campaigns …

Dallas Conviction Integrity Unit Gains National Notoriety

Article • July 6, 2016 • from PLN July, 2016

Filed under: Police Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Advocacy, Prison Reform, Evidence, Statistics/Trends, Attorney Misconduct, Release and Reentry, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Pardons/Clemency

Dallas Conviction Integrity Unit Gains National Notoriety by Matthew Clarke The word “first” was applied to Craig M. Watkins multiple times after his election to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office in 2006. He was the county’s first black D.A., the first D.A. who had been a public defender before …

Are Shows Like "Serial" and "Making a Murderer" Clouding the Wider Struggle for Justice?

Article • June 27, 2016

Filed under: Prison Reform, Statistics/Trends, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment

to her father's exoneration after 16 years of wrongful imprisonment can easily prompt an emotional meltdown. Listening to Darrell Cannon describe the torture that led to his confession ...

Levy v. Harrington & City of Buffalo, NY, Plf Trial Memo, police misconduct false arrest wrongful imprisonment, 2016

Brief • June 6, 2016

Filed under: Police Misconduct, Wrongful Imprisonment, False Arrest

Levy v. Harrington & City of Buffalo, NY, Plf Trial Memo, police misconduct false arrest wrongful imprisonment, 2016 Case 1:09-cv-00720-LJV-HBS Document 60 Filed 06/06/16 Page 1 of 6 UNITED STATES ...

Exonerees Fulfill Dreams, Help Other Prisoners Overcome Wrongful Convictions

Article • June 3, 2016 • from PLN June, 2016

Filed under: Lobbying, Advocacy, Prison Reform, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Release and Reentry, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Pardons/Clemency

Exonerees Fulfill Dreams, Help Other Prisoners Overcome Wrongful Convictions by David Reutter by David Reutter and Joe Watson Former Louisiana death row prisoner John Thompson has spearheaded an organization that aims to help the wrongfully convicted and former prisoners successfully rebuild their lives. Thompson was sentenced to death for the …

Prosecutorial Oversight, Innocence Project, 2016

Publication • May 26, 2016

Filed under: Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Malicious Prosecution, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment

Prosecutorial Oversight, Innocence Project, 2016 Prosecutorial Oversight: A National Dialogue in the Wake of Connick v. Thompson march 2016 The Innocence Project would like to acknowledge and thank the following individuals who contributed to this report and its success: Lawanna Kimbro, Liz Jansky, Emily West, Stephen Saloom, Cookie Ridolfi and …

Criminal Injustice - A Cost Analysis of Wrongful Convictions, Errors and Failed Prosecutions in California, UCLA Berkeley Law, 2015

Publication • May 26, 2016

Filed under: Police Misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, False Arrest

Criminal Injustice - A Cost Analysis of Wrongful Convictions, Errors and Failed Prosecutions in California, UCLA Berkeley Law, 2015 C R I M I N INJU$TICE AL INTRODUCTION A COST ANALYSIS OF WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS, ERRORS, AND FAILED PROSECUTIONS IN CALIFORNIA’S CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM The Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on …

Death Penalty Opponent Delbert Tibbs Dies at 74

Article • May 13, 2016

Filed under: Advocacy, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Death Penalty/Death Row

Death Penalty Opponent Delbert Tibbs Dies at 74 by David Reutter Delbert Tibbs, a peaceful advocate to abolish the death penalty, has lost his battle against cancer and died at the age of 74. His advocacy was borne of personal experience of being wrongfully convicted. Tibbs was born on June …