Category Archives: Events

Tuesday’s Quick Clicks…

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Mark Godsey | Leave a comment

In race for DA in Los Angeles, candidates sue each other for overstating their prosecutorial credentials in campaign materials, as they each try to puff up their “tough on crime” image to the max
Jennifer Thompson to be convocation speaker at Carleton College in Minnesota
Interesting piece about the ethics of journalism-based Innocence Projects, including Point Park and Medill (Northwestern)
Supreme Court of India limits authority of courts to intervene and quash problematic criminal investigations
Interesting video (in English) about suppression of rights and imprisonment of the innocent in China
Re-trial begins in Connecticut for George Gould, who was previously exonerated on innocence grounds, but then had an appellate court state that the prosecution should get a chance to retry him
Inquiry into prosecutorial misconduct by (now judge) Ken Anderson in the Michael Morton case won’t begin until summer
Pennsylvania Innocence Project hosts eyewitness identification forum tonight

Leave a comment

Posted in Asia, Events, Eyewitness identification, Prosecutorial conduct (good and bad)

Sunday’s Quick Clicks…

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Mark Godsey | Leave a comment

Trial begins Monday in Connecticut for once-exonerated George Gould. After the trial court threw out his conviction and ordered him released on grounds of innocence, an appellate court later remanded and said the prosecution should be entitled to retry him.
Rob Warden essay on false confessions
Here in full is last night’s 48 Hours episode on exoneree Anthony Graves’ case out of Texas
Maryland once again considers abolishing death penalty
Death row exoneree Ray Krone to give address at Ithaca College in New York Wednesday night, March 21st

Leave a comment

Posted in Events, False confessions

Thursday’s Quick Clicks…

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Mark Godsey | Leave a comment

Reward for information leading to the arrest of the party or parties responsible for the crimes in the West Memphis 3 case increased to $200,000
John Ramsey, father of JonBenet Ramsay who lived for years under the cloud of having murdered his own daughter before being exonerated, writes of his ordeal
Negotiations on innocence reforms and DNA database expansion in NY nearing the end; vote coming up soon
Michael Wayne Hash (case previously covered here) set free yesterday
Northern California Innocence Project exoneree Franky Carrillo enjoys his 1 year anniversary of the day he was freed
More on the Maryland case where the Innocence Project is seeking exoneration in a conviction that involved junk science and state’s “expert witness” falsifying his credentials
How juror misconduct–like referring to Ouija boards for guidance–results in miscarriages of justice in Australia
Connecticut considers repealing death penalty, in part because of wrongful convictions; issues arise in Missouri as well
Shujaa Graham, the 20^th Death Row exoneree, to speak in Kentucky
Boise State sends DNA expert Dr. Greg Hampikian out on the speakers circuit (he spoke at Cincinnati this year and those in the audience said it was one of the best presentations they had ever attended)

Leave a comment

Posted in Australia/New Zealand, Book recommendations/discussion, Events

Tuesday’s Quick Clicks…

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Mark Godsey | Leave a comment

Interesting article by Gabe Tan of the Innocence Network UK about the problems with requiring “new evidence” or “fresh evidence” in shaky cases before they can be officially re-opened
Wisconsin Innocence Project’s motion to recuse a state Supreme Court justice causes a firestorm
Georgia Innocence Project has event featuring one of the Duke Lacrosse players falsely charged with rape
Chicago exoneree Robert Wilson, who spent 9 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, gets $3.6 million settlement
Death penalty studies in Connecticut and New Jersey
Top judges around the U.S. call for criminal justice reform
Six points that cast doubt on the alleged guilt of the “Lockerbie Bomber”
Is the UK doing enough to fight wrongful convictions?
Hearing continues in Facebook case with Dateline filming; prosectors attack credibility of new witness whose testimony exonerates Higher brothers
New York exoneree Jeffrey Deskovic uses settlement money to establish foundation to help others who were wrongfully convicted
Innocence Project (Cardoza) client in Maryland seeks to overturn conviction on ground that the state ballistics expert whose testimony led to conviction was a fraud who falsified his credentials

Leave a comment

Posted in Events, Forensic controls, Junk science, Police conduct (good and bad), United Kingdom

Friday’s Quick Clicks…

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Mark Godsey | 1 comment

Listen to Betty Anne Walters and Chris Ochoa on Australian radio while they are in Perth, West Australia for the big conference being held there this week
New book released about the Darryl Hunt exoneration and all the work and faith that went into it
Story on Utah’s appeal of the Deb Brown exoneration (client of Rocky Mountain Innocence Center)
Three Innocence Project New Orleans exonerees get the maximum compensation allowed by Louisiana law-$250,000 per person; and another of IP-NO exonerees has his compensation hearing today
Questionable forensics and withheld information raise suspicions of a wrongful conviction in Canada of a mother convicted of abusing her toddler daughter who died in 1998
Death row exoneree John Thompson tells his harrowing story in Philadelphia

1 Comment

Posted in Australia/New Zealand, Book recommendations/discussion, Compensation/Exoneree compensation, Events, Junk science

Monday’s Quick Clicks…

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Mark Godsey | 1 comment

It looks like the Scottish government will make an exception to the privacy law and will release the 800-page report showing that Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, known as the Lockerbie Bomber, was likely innocent
Wrongful convictions one of Florida’s greatest shames
Innocence Network UK client Gary Critchley from Birmingham, England enjoys first days of freedom after serving 31 years in prison for a murder he claims he did not commit. While Gary was released on parole rather than exonerated, INUK will continue fighting for his exoneration.
Exoneree Rubin “Hurricane” Carter in Australia raising awareness of wrongful convictions
Nice article about the Michael Wayne Hash habeas win and the persistence of Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project Director Shawn Ambrust that led to the win
New Zealand’s controversial David Bain appears on TV3’s 60 Minutes to talk about life after exoneration and further proclaim his innocence
Former Justice of the Florida Supreme Court speaks out and says Florida should require juror unanimity in death sentences
More on New York governor Cuomo’s refusal to include innocence reforms in his DNA database expansion bill
Amnesty International report on arrests and detentions of innocents in Iran to crush political dissent
American Bar Association released its report on the state of the death penalty in Missouri

1 Comment

Posted in Australia/New Zealand, Capital punishment, Events, United Kingdom

Sunday’s Quick Clicks…

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Mark Godsey | Leave a comment

Corrupt and incompetent judiciary in the Bahamas leads to wrongful convictions
Exoneree Terrill Swift feels mugged by website mugshot.com because it refuses to remove his photo and conviction information despite his DNA exoneration last year
More on the rise and fall of embattled Durham, NC DA Tracey Cline
The political culture regarding wrongful convictions has changed for the better in Chicago
Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada working on case of wrongfully convicted man in New Zealand
Although he has already had his conviction overturned and gained his freedom, Kerry Max Cook seeks new DNA testing to conclusively clear his name
New Mexico governor vetoes expungement bill that would have made it easier for the wrongfully convicted to clear their names
Freed but scarred, exoneree Fernando Bermudez attempts to adjust to life on the outside
Tickets on sale for Innocence Project of Florida’s first annual gala
Downstate Illinois Innocence Project director Larry Golden talks about the death penalty in Missouri and Illinois

Leave a comment

Posted in Australia/New Zealand, Capital punishment, Compensation/Exoneree compensation, Events, Latin America

The galvanizing Troy Davis case taught lessons beyond death penalty

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Nancy Petro | 11 comments

Massive attention in America and internationally on the Troy Davis case appropriately focused on the death penalty, but this case was a call to action regardless of one’s position on capital punishment. The troubling uncertainty that followed Troy Davis to the death chamber on September 21, 2011, should prompt widespread recognition that the U.S. criminal justice system can do better, and Americans must require it.

When Davis’s guilt was called into question following the recantation of most key witnesses, thousands protested but were unable to stop the train that had left the station twenty years earlier. That’s when a jury, after weighing evidence Continue reading →

11 Comments

Posted in Capital punishment, Commissions/Innocence Commissions/Governmental Case Review Agencies, Editorials/Opinion, Events, Eyewitness identification, Police conduct (good and bad), Reforming/Improving the system

Tagged appeals process, capital punishment, Nancy Petro, Troy Davis

Friday’s Quick Clicks…

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Mark Godsey | Leave a comment

Alaska legislator introduces bill to improve eyewitness identification practices
Bill introduced in Wisconsin would increase exoneree compensation from $5,000 per year in prison (capped at a total of $25,000) to $50,000 per year with no cap. More here
On the heels of this year’s documentary on the West Memphis 3 being nominated for an Academy Award (and not winning), Sony Classics has just purchased the rights to another documentary about the same case. This film, entitled West of Memphis, was produced by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) and Amy Berg. It is highly acclaimed already, having premiered at Sundance last month, and is expected to compete for an Oscar next year. That would be two years in a row that the West Memphis 3 would be featured on the red carpet.
More interesting articles on the Michael Hash habeas win this week from the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project here and here.
Downstate Illinois Innocence Project examines 1998 murder case from Bloomington
Innocence Project could get position on new board in charge of fixing crime lab in Houston
The Exonerated (play) still opening hearts and minds in Florida
Tim Cole, first person exonerated posthumously by DNA, gets state-sponsored historical marker by his grave in Texas.
In an emotional ceremony, Florida governor signs bill giving $1.35 million in compensation to exoneree Bill Dillon.
Exoneree Daryl Hunt urges Kansas to push through its DNA backlog
Nebraska Innocence Project seeks DNA testing in 1975 murder case
Montana Innocence Project says prosecutors intimidated recanting witness to “un-recant”
California Innocence Project Director and blog contributing editor Justin Brooks joins fight to free American Jason Puracal wrongfully convicted in Nicaragua. More here
Exoneree Herman Atkins and California Innocence Project Director Justin Brooks stump against the death penalty in California and try to get its repeal on the ballot

Leave a comment

Posted in Capital punishment, Compensation/Exoneree compensation, Events, Eyewitness identification, Film/Cinema

Tuesday’s Quick Clicks…

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Mark Godsey | Leave a comment

Jennifer Thompson to speak March 7th in Bristol, England, sponsored by the Innocence Network UK.
Death row exoneree Kirk Bloodsworth speaks in Pittsburgh
Innocence Project students at Northumbria University in the UK attempt to overturn arson conviction
Massachusetts Governor signs DNA access law
Exoneree compensation bill introduced in Michigan; would provide $40,000 per year of wrongful incarceration plus other benefits
SCOTUS to decide in next month whether it will hear an appeal, supported by the Innocence Network, asking that a free-standing claim of actual innocence be recognized as a constitutional claim in habeas.
Embattled Durhan N.C. prosecutor sticks to her attacks against local judge.
$100,000 reward offered by anonymous donor for information leading to the true killer(s) in the West Memphis 3 case.
John Thompson and the Prosecutorial Misconduct Tour of 2012

Leave a comment

Posted in Book recommendations/discussion, Compensation/Exoneree compensation, Events, Legislation, Prosecutorial conduct (good and bad), United Kingdom

Monday’s Quick Clicks…

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Mark Godsey | 1 comment

Florida House of Representatives passes bill to compensate exoneree William Dillon $1.35 million for spending 27 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. Visit Bill’s Foundation here and download his album on iTunes or listen here (his album is really good!).
Dallas DA Craig Watkins questions death penalty and talks of his own great-grandfather’s execution in 1932
A British barrister is trying to get the Queen to posthumously pardon 12 women executed in 1612 for allegedly being witches 🙂
The Kentucky Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal by the Innocence Project (Cardoza) regarding the right to DNA testing in a 1992 murder case.
Twists and turns in the California Innocence Project’s William Richards case.
Police manufacturing evidence leads to miscarriages of justice in Jamaica
Mississippi Innocence Project asks judge to toss convictions in aggravated assault case.
Editorial on America’s failing criminal justice system
Report by Pennsylvania Supreme Court calls pay for capital punishment defenders “grossly inadequate.”
New York bill expands collection of DNA for database but fails to correct causes of wrongful conviction
Pennsylvania Innocence Project hosts performance of The Scottsboro Boys

1 Comment

Posted in Capital punishment, Compensation/Exoneree compensation, Defense lawyering (good and bad), Editorials/Opinion, Events, Police conduct (good and bad), United Kingdom

Newest Australian Miscarriages of Justice Campaign Group

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Carole McCartney | 1 comment

Perth, Western Australia will be home to an international conference of legal and forensic experts next month, hosted by ‘Justice WA’ – a new campaign group that is hoping to take on its first case next year and wants to establish a criminal cases committee to investigate miscarriages of justice. Read more on the conference here…. You can visit JusticeWA website here…

1 Comment

Posted in Australia/New Zealand, Events, Project Spotlights

Monday’s Quick Clicks….

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Mark Godsey | 2 comments

Northern California Innocence Project client Maurice Caldwell adjusts to life on the outside one year after being exonerated…..
the Supreme Court of India has ruled that mere “procedural errors” alone cannot be a basis for overturning a criminal conviction…there must also be a miscarriage of justice in the case before the conviction can be quashed….
Amanda Knox signs a multi-million dollar book deal….
a former prosecutor (now a judge) in Texas faces an inquiry for allegedly hiding exclulpatory evidence in a case….related commentary by Nancy Petro here….
Mississippi Innocence Project Director Tucker Carrington is a featured speaker at the University of Arkansas….
Geography–the rural/urban divide–impacts quality of justice in South Africa…
a documentary film on the West Memphis 3 wrongful conviction case nominated for Academy Award….
Massachusetts passed bill giving inmates access to DNA testing to prove their innocence….
this week is Innocence Week at Cardiff Law School in Wales….