wrongful convictions

DNA exonerates another in CT; mis-ID the culprit

Gideon (A Public Defender)
March 16, 2012 12:25

On Monday, Hubert Thompson walked out of Hartford Superior Court a free man. He felt the sun hit his face, breathed fresh air and went where the hell he damn pleased. He had just been granted a new trial after serving well over half a decade in prison for a rape he didn’t commit....

Weekly Update: Nationwide people fight for justice in many ways

March 15, 2012 14:11

Pennsylvania Theater Puts on The Scottsboro Boys, Brings About Discussion on Racism and Wrongful Convictions After one of the last performances of The Scottsboro Boys at the Suzanne Roberts Theater in Pennsylvania, leaders in the justice system gathered for a [...]The Scottsboro Boys at the Suzanne...

State forensic lab under scrutiny

Gideon (A Public Defender)
August 10, 2011 12:52

The Connecticut State Police Forensic Science Laboratory, once considered among the best, most independent and most efficient in the country, is now facing some serious scrutiny by the NIJ, an arm of the Feds. Norm Pattis wrote about this two days ago and it got picked up by the Courant yesterday....

CA: Snitching requires corroboration

Gideon (A Public Defender)
August 02, 2011 04:47

In a long overdue move, Gov. Jerry Brown of California just signed into law SB 687, which bans judges and juries from convicting defendants based solely on the uncorroborated testimony of jailhouse informants. From the bill itself: This bill would additionally provide that a judge or jury may not...

What do we want from our system?

Gideon (A Public Defender)
July 11, 2011 01:13

see end of post for info on this picture I feel compelled to start, once again, with one of my favorite quotes: Ammianus Marcellinus relates an anecdote of the Emperor Julian which illustrates the enforcement of this principle in the Roman law. Numerius, the governor of Narbonensis, was on trial...