STORY: "Release of wrongfully convicted men fails to silence Alvarez's critics: But state's attorney's action could mark a new approach to dismissals," by reporters Steve Mills and Steve Schmadeke, published by the Chicago Tribune on September 10, 2013;
GIST: "The
decision by Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez to set aside the
convictions of two men Tuesday, leading to their release from prison
and into the arms of family members and lawyers, underscored the fact
that Illinois' problems with wrongful convictions are far from over.But
Alvarez's handling of the cases of Carl Chatman and Lathierial Boyd
also may signal a shift in her approach to wrongful conviction cases,
one that has given her a reputation as a prosecutor who slow-walks
innocence claims and dismisses convictions only when she has no choice.........Attorney Kathleen Zellner, who
represented Boyd in his effort to overturn his conviction for a 1990
murder, praised Alvarez for her "courage and dedication to doing the
right thing" rather than fighting Zellner's efforts to help Boyd win his
freedom.........Alvarez's
critics, while cheered by the releases of Chatman and Boyd, were less
charitable. They said Alvarez has devoted too few prosecutors to the
Conviction Integrity Unit and dismisses convictions only when she faces
certain defeat, and does so mainly to avoid negative publicity......... Said
Hugh Mundy, an associate professor at John Marshall Law School and a
former federal public defender: "History has taught us that prosecutors
are extraordinarily reluctant to revisit cases in this manner, and
that's why I think what the state's attorney's office is doing is a good
start.""
The entire story can be found at:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-09-10/news/ct-met-alvarez-cases-dismissed-20130911_1_wrongful-convictions-attorney-anita-alvarez-innocence
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following these cases.
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses
several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of
the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this
powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and
myself get more out of the site.
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/charlessmith
Information 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.html
Please
send any comments or information on other cases and issues of
interest to the readers of this blog to:
hlevy15@gmail.com
