PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This is the second post I am publishing under the rubric of 'really neat blog' discoveries' of forensic interest which, if they interest me will likely bring pleasure to my readers.
BACKGROUND: Discovery number two is 'Unrequited Innocence' - to be found on 'Injustice Watch' at the following link:
https://www.injusticewatch.org/interactives/unrequited-innocence/
Why 'unrequited innocence?" One has already been executed. Others remain on death row. Some remain locked up but are no longer on death row. And some were released from prison, but still have convictions on their record. They all have one thing in common: None of them has been declared innocent, no matter how strongly the evidence points in that direction.
As per the site: "Forty-three years after he was sentenced to death for murdering a North Carolina grocery clerk, Charles Ray Finch was released from prison in June when officials belatedly acknowledged his conviction was based on false forensic testimony and a dubious identification that followed a suggestive lineup. Get these reports and more delivered directly to your inbox. Finch became the 166th defendant wrongly convicted and sentenced to death row since 1973, only to be later exonerated when evidence of their innocence emerged. In their new study, Injustice Watch co-founder Rob Warden and reporter John Seasly have identified another troubling category of cases: Defendants sentenced to die who have not been exonerated despite significant evidence of their innocence. Some remain on death row. One, Larry Swearingen, was executed in Texas in August protesting his innocence to the end. Others have died in prison without new evidence being fully considered. Still others were removed from death row based on the evidence of innocence, but not fully exonerated. Their research reviewing the 24 cases took more than a year and appears in the Spring 2019 issue of the Northwestern Journal of Law and Social Policy. The law review notes a series of potential policy changes that could limit the number of wrongful convictions, such as two ideas to reform juries: First, to end peremptory challenges, which have been used by prosecutors to eliminate black people from juries; and second, to have one jury decide guilt and a second decide on the sentence in capital cases -- permitting those opposed to the death penalty to weigh the evidence, but not the sentence. Injustice Watch will be featuring the cases, adapted by Seasly from the law review, on our website throughout the fall. The first: The case of Larry Swearingen."
THE CASES: I have been following many of the 24 cases over the years, including: Larry Rae Swearingen. (Texas): Rodney Reed: (Texas: ( Darlie Lynn Routier. (Texas): Tyrone Lee Noting. (Ohio): Eddie Lee Howard Jr. (Mississippi). Corey Dewayne Williams. (Louisiana). Kevin Cooper. (California). This fascinating project has introduced me to cases of forensaic interest and importance of which I was previously unaware. They all share the common theme: A troubling category of cases: Defendants sentenced to die who have not been exonerated despite significant evidence of their innocence.
THE CREATORS: Injustice Watch Co-Founder Rob Warden and Reporter John Seasly.
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BONUS: CHECK OUT THE PODCAST AT THIS LINK: "Rob Warden and John Seasly speak with Anne Holsinger about their law review article and profile series, “Unrequited Innocence,” which examine death-penalty cases in which prisoners have not been exonerated, despite strong evidence of innocence. Warden, the Executive Director Emeritus of the Center on Wrongful Convictions and a co-founder of both the National Registry of Exonerations and Injustice Watch, and Seasly, a reporter at Injustice Watch, profiled 24 cases involving 25 defendants with “compelling evidence of innocence.” In the podcast, they discuss why they chose to focus on unredressed wrongful convictions, the patterns and themes that emerged in their research, and the remedies that they recommend. Warden and Seasly also address the pernicious impact of false jailhouse informant testimony, the error rate in death-penalty cases, and prosecutors' use of coercive plea deals that permit innocent prisoners to gain their freedom but deny them exoneration and compensation for their years wrongfully incarcerated on death row."
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/resources/podcasts/discussions-with-dpic/unrequited-innocence-with-rob-warden-and-john-seasly
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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This is the second post I am publishing under the rubric of 'really neat blog' discoveries' which, if they interest me will likely bring pleasure to my readers. So, dear reader, if any interesting blog of a forensic nature that should be of interest to our readers comes to your attention, please drop me a note at:
hlevy15@gmail.com.
The first selection https://antipolygraph.org
can be found at the link below:
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=120008354894645705#editor/target=post;postID=1068147746216467163;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=29;src=link
Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. 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. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices.""
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20191210/da-drops-murder-charge-against-taunton-man-who-served-35-years-for-1979-slaying
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