STORY: "Wrongful convictions spur State's Attorney Anita Alvarez to form review unit for controversial prosecutions," by reporter Jason Meisner, published on February 3, 2012.
GIST: "Speaking at the
City Club of Chicago, the state's attorney, who is running for re-election and is unopposed in the Democratic primary in March, said the unit will pay particular attention to the kind of cases that have often been beset by problems — including confessions by young suspects and convictions that relied on a single witness. The unit, modeled after operations in New York, Dallas and other major cities, has been operating since last month with three prosecutors and two investigators, she said. Since Alvarez was elected in 2008, more than a dozen older Cook County prosecutions fell apart after men were wrongfully convicted amid allegations of police torture, coerced confessions or DNA evidence that implicated others in a crime. Alvarez said the creation of the conviction integrity unit marks a "shift in philosophy" and vowed that her office would "increase our focus and our openness about these cases."
THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-alvarez-conviction-panel-20120203,0,7840307.storyPUBLISHER'S NOTE: The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmithInformation on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.htmlHarold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog; hlevy15@gmail.com;
