As we finish out the year with the fourth quarter wrongful conviction roundup, I want to highlight the cause-effect relationship of many of the common themes discussed in this blog. The fourth quarter wrongful convictions and exonerations illustrate the tragic, real world effects of prosecutorial misconduct, police misconduct, false confessions, and flawed eyewitness identifications. The… Read More
As we near the end of the year, it seems like a good time to reflect, so I thought I’d examine how the United States compares to other countries in matters of policing and criminal justice. Unfortunately, an international comparison of criminal justice statistics shows just how far behind our country is. Police shootings: This… Read More
The prosecutor is one of the most powerful actors in the criminal justice system. Should the cop who gunned down that black child for no reason and then lied about it in his police reports be prosecuted for murder? It’s the prosecutor’s decision. The number of women in prison jumped 646% between 1980 and… Read More
In a recent post, Media Coverage of Black Shooting Victims (Part I), we considered how the media uses negative portrayals of black shooting victims to imply that police brutality against black victims is somehow justifiable. We explored how the news media’s use of mug shots or unflattering photos of the victims and its assassination… Read More
We like to think that only guilty people end up in prison. And we like to think that DNA and scientific evidence are so fool-proof and convincing that they prevent innocent people from getting convicted of crimes. The reality, however, is that scientific evidence in criminal cases relies on crime lab analysis and, more specifically,… Read More
HOUSTON – The mother of an unarmed black college student, as administrator of his estate, shot to death by a Houston police officer in January 2014, sued the City in federal court here this morning. Jordan Baker was 26-years-old and is also survived by his 7-year-old son. Janet Baker and her attorney, David B. Owens… Read More
