Prevent Wrongful Convictions
As published in The Hartford Courant
Letter to the Editor
While policy-makers in Connecticut should be commended for awarding James Calvin Tillman $5 million to compensate him for his 18-year wrongful incarceration [editorial, May 21 "Mr. Tillman's Just Award"], it is unfortunate that these same legislators passed up an opportunity this year to enact meaningful procedural reforms to prevent faulty eyewitness identifications like the one that led to Mr. Tillman’s wrongful conviction.
A Senate bill that failed to pass through the Joint Committee on the Judiciary would have established procedures for conducting a police lineup (such as double-blind administration and the use of fillers) that have already proved effective in limiting faulty eyewitness identifications in jurisdictions across the country. These procedural changes would have entailed minimal effort and resources, and helped ensure that the highest-quality eyewitness evidence is collected in criminal cases.
Although offering Mr. Tillman compensation is essential, no amount of money can ever equal the value of the time lost when an innocent person is incarcerated. Given the documented cases of miscarriages of justice - and the research indicating that many of the errors can be minimized - Connecticut has a duty to the public and to Mr. Tillman to do all it can to prevent cases like his from happening again.
John F. Terzano
President
The Justice Project
Washington, D.C.
The Justice Project works to increase fairness and accuracy in the criminal justice system.
