Two of Los Angeles’ Biggest Wrongful Conviction Cases Exemplify the Justice System’s Biggest Errors
Together, the exonerated men have spent 60 years in prison.
Browsing Tag
Wrongful Convictions
15 posts
A New Film Challenges Shaken Baby Syndrome, and Courts Controversy
Meryl and Susan Goldsmith’s documentary, The Syndrome, has been boycotted and protested against for its portrayal of SBS as outdated science.
An Unpardonable Failure: A Flawed Prosecutor and the Man He Wrongfully Convicted
Evidence of a convicted murderer’s possible innocence sat buried in a case file for more than two decades. Now, a prosecutor in Brooklyn will have to answer for the mistake.
To Catch an Arsonist: Will We Ever Have a Reliable Way to Identify Fire Starters?
Gradual advancements in the art and science of fire investigation continue.
The Value of Taping Interrogations
A report advocating death penalty reforms finds that false confessions in capital cases can be limited by recording the questioning of suspects.
Parsing Just Compensation for Wrongful Convictions
Sue Russell’s nine-piece look at wrongful convictions didn’t include two cases in the news this week, those of…
A Prescription for Criminal Justice: Embrace Errors, Then Fix Them
A sampling of the many achievable reforms now being used to help avoid wrongful convictions
Why Can’t Law Enforcement Admit They Blow It Sometimes?
Because police, detectives and forensic scientists are only human, and it's all-too natural to be inexplicably reluctant to admit to – or even to see – some of their mistakes.
Seeking Second Chances Without DNA
DNA testing has overturned many wrongful convictions but the vast majority of criminal cases have no DNA to test. And some of those inmates’ convictions are also flawed.
The Right and Privilege of Post-Conviction DNA Testing
Almost half the DNA tests conducted at prisoners’ request confirm guilt. Yet many believe that the exceptions more than justify making post-conviction testing widely accessible. And what is often fair or prudent is for Death Row inmates essential.