wednesday watch on injustice, edition 54 (06!06!2012)

7/31/2019 Wednesday Watch on Injustice, Edition 54 (06!06!2012)

1/3

WednesdayWatchOn InjustIceBill BastukPresident ICH/Y

Dannielle HilleCommunications Coordinator

Jeffrey DeskovicEditor

YOUYOUITCOULD HAPPEN TOYOU!

Wrongful Convictions in the News

Wrongful convictions have become a popular talking point in recent months. This weeks

Wednesday Watch on Injustice is a highlight of recent developments in the pursuit of justice.

Wrongful convictions shine spotlight on judicial system

By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAYUpdated 5/20/2012 8:07 PM

Perjury, faulty eyewitness identification and prosecutorial misconduct are the leading reasons forwrongful convictions, according to the first national registry of exonerations compiled by

university researchers.

The database, assembled through a collaboration by the University of Michigan and

Northwestern University, has identified 873 faulty convictions in the past 23 years that havebeen recognized by prosecutors, judges or governors.

The registry's founders say the numbers, which do not include many cases in which innocentsuspects plead guilty to avoid the risk of more serious punishments or cases that have been

dismissed because of legal error without new evidence of innocence, represent only a fraction ofthe problem in the nation's criminal justice system.

To read the entire article clickHERE

Why wrongful convictions? Lies, mistaken eyewitnesses top the list.

By Mike Eckel, Contributor / The Christian Science Monitor / May 21, 2012

Researchers examined 873 wrongful convictions and found that perjury or false

accusations were responsible for more than half. A New report offers insight into what

leads to miscarriages of justice.

False accusations, official misconduct, and mistaken eyewitness identity are the primary reasons

behind hundreds of wrongful convictions nationwide over the past 23 years, legal researchersconclude in a new report.

The report, released Sunday, is part of a database compiled by the University of Michigan andNorthwestern University law schools that for the first time tries to pinpoint the problem of

flawed judicial outcomes in state and federal courts.

Researchers identified 873 wrongful convictions between January 1989 and March 2012; 46

percent of the cases examined were homicides, 35 percent were sexual assaults, while theremainder were other crimes. Half involved African-Americans, 38 percent were whites, while

11 percent were Latinos. The report concluded that perjury or false accusations were responsible

06 June 2012

vol. 2/No 54
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-05-20/wrongful-convictions-exonerations/55098856/1http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-05-20/wrongful-convictions-exonerations/55098856/1http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-05-20/wrongful-convictions-exonerations/55098856/1http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-05-20/wrongful-convictions-exonerations/55098856/1


2/3

for just over half of the failures, followed by mistaken eyewitness identification, officialmisconduct, false or misleading evidence, or false confession.


Wrongful convictions

Watertown Daily News

Tuesday, May 22, 2012ARTICLE OPTIONS

A nongovernmental database on 23 years of faulty convictions in the United States is a

reassuring report on the American criminal justice system.

Researchers at the University of Michigan and Northwestern University have compiled a registry

of 873 people convicted of crimes they did not commit, going back to 1989.

Researchers also identified nearly 1,200 other cases not included in the registry for lack of

details. They involved group exonerations in which convictions were tossed out due to police

scandal or corruption such as planting guns or drugs.To read the entire article clickHERE

Wrongful conviction follows Texas DA;Bradley loses after opponent highlights case

By Nomaan Merchant Associated PressGo San Angelo Standard-Times

Saturday, June 2, 2012

GEORGETOWN As Michael Morton became a household name across Central Texas, his

story became harder for John Bradley to shake. The district attorney of Williamson County,

Bradley spent years arguing against DNA testing of a bloody bandanna that could have clearedMorton of his wife's murder. The bandanna was eventually tested, and Morton walked out ofprison after nearly 25 years.

The case helped bring down a sharp-eyed, tough-talking attorney once named prosecutor of theyear in Texas. Bradley lost Tuesday in a Republican primary to retain his seat after his opponent

waged a campaign focused on Morton.

In a state where dozens of wrongfully convicted people have been freed, Bradley's loss was an

extremely rare example of a wrongful conviction case having electoral consequences. Bandannaspopped up near Bradley's campaign signs, and mailings from both sides addressed his role in the

case.


Laws to prevent wrongful convictions pushed in NY

The Wall Street Journal / May 30, 2012

Associated Press
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2012/0521/What-causes-wrongful-convictions-Lies-mistaken-eyewitnesses-top-the-listhttp://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2012/0521/What-causes-wrongful-convictions-Lies-mistaken-eyewitnesses-top-the-listhttp://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2012/0521/What-causes-wrongful-convictions-Lies-mistaken-eyewitnesses-top-the-listhttp://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20120522/OPINION01/705229947/1036/opinionhttp://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20120522/OPINION01/705229947/1036/opinionhttp://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20120522/OPINION01/705229947/1036/opinionhttp://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2012/jun/02/wrongful-conviction-follows-texas-da/http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2012/jun/02/wrongful-conviction-follows-texas-da/http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2012/jun/02/wrongful-conviction-follows-texas-da/http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2012/jun/02/wrongful-conviction-follows-texas-da/http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20120522/OPINION01/705229947/1036/opinionhttp://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2012/0521/What-causes-wrongful-convictions-Lies-mistaken-eyewitnesses-top-the-list


3/3

ALBANY, N.Y. Lawyers and other advocates for stronger laws to prevent wrongfulconvictions are set to rally in Albany.

The Innocence Project, a national group, and the New York State Bar Association say they wantthe Legislature to pass changes that will make misidentification and false confessions less likely.

They say those are two of the most common causes of wrongful convictions.

Among the participants at a news conference Wednesday will be people from the New York City

area and upstate who were convicted of crimes they didn't commit and a rape victim whomisidentified her attacker because of faulty police practices.


As Americans become educated on the risks of wrongful convictions and the price innocent

individuals pay, the problem becomes evident. This isnt a fantasy or the guilty trying to be setfree, innocent people sit in jails to rot for crimes they did not commit. Theyve lost years with

their families, missed out on experiences, and in the worst case, theyve lost their life inside theprison walls. It is time for the American public to stand up and demand change because, It Could

Happen To YOU!

In the battle for Law Enforcement and Justice Reform, It Could Happen To YOU is undertaking a

fundraising campaign. A donation in any amount will help in the fight against injustice and your help is

greatly appreciated. All donations are tax-deductible. Contributions may be made on-line by visiting our

website at:www.itcouldhappen2you.org

IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU invites readers to submit comments to:

[email protected]

Please visit our website at:www.itcouldhappen2you.organd link us to your organization or

personal website.

Also dont forget to visit us on Facebook(Click Here) and like our page.

Share our Wednesday Watch on Injustice with your family and friends.

Officers- Bill Bastuk- FounderRoseanne Corrigan- Vice President

Steering Committee- Paul LaBarber- Art Directions, Etc. Alice Green- Center for Law and Justice Melanie Trimble- NYCLU

GabrielSayegh- Drug Policy Alliance NYLisa Schreibersdorf- Brooklyn Defender Services Don Thompson- ETKS Defense Pam Booker- Prison Families ofNY

Jeffrey Deskovic- The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation For JusticeDavid Kaczynski- New Yorkers for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
http://online.wsj.com/article/AP5522ea28c4854948ae0915cc2cab8054.htmlhttp://online.wsj.com/article/AP5522ea28c4854948ae0915cc2cab8054.htmlhttp://www.itcouldhappen2you.org/http://www.itcouldhappen2you.org/http://www.itcouldhappen2you.org/http://www.itcouldhappen2you.org/http://www.itcouldhappen2you.org/http://www.itcouldhappen2you.org/http://www.facebook.com/pages/It-Could-Happen-2-You/194726417233051http://www.facebook.com/pages/It-Could-Happen-2-You/194726417233051http://www.facebook.com/pages/It-Could-Happen-2-You/194726417233051http://online.wsj.com/article/AP5522ea28c4854948ae0915cc2cab8054.htmlhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/It-Could-Happen-2-You/194726417233051http://www.itcouldhappen2you.org/http://www.itcouldhappen2you.org/

wednesday watch on injustice, edition 54 (06!06!2012)

Documents