Prosecutors Must Seek Justice, Not Merely Convictions
By John F. Terzano
As advocates of justice, prosecutors play a unique and powerful role in our justice system. Yet too often, prosecutors fall prey to…
Read More »Sample Editorial Support for the Innocence Protection Act
Scrimping on justice
“Congress rolled out the Justice for All Act, authorizing millions of dollars to help federal, state and local governments address the serious problems…
Statements From Key Sponsors and Supporters of the IPA
Congress
- The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy’s (D-VT) Statement on the Legislative History of the IPA. From the Congressional Record, issued November 19, 2004
- Statement from the Honorable William…
Timeline of the Innocence Protection Act
106th Congress:
- February 10, 2000: After devoting nearly a year to evaluating flaws in the administration of the death penalty nationwide, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduces…
History of the Innocence Protection Act
- During the 108th Congress, the IPA was re-introduced as a part of the Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act (HR 3214/S 1700). Near the end…
Court Rules Sleeping Lawyer Violated Defendant’s Right to a Fair Trial
Texas murder convict Calvin Burdine came within hours of execution in August of 1987, despite having had a lawyer who slept for periods of up…
Read More »Exonerated: James Calvin Tillman
After spending 18 years wrongfully imprisoned, James Calvin Tillman was released from a Connecticut prison on June 6, 2007 as a result of post-conviction DNA testing.
Tillman,…
Read More »The Innocence Protection Act Of 2004: A Small Step Forward And A Framework For Larger Reforms
By Ronald Weich
Unclog the Backlog
Hundreds of thousands of DNA samples from rape victims go untested for years; bill would help
By Marty Goddard
Thirty years ago in Chicago, I made a…
Read More »DNA Testing Bill Would Protect the Innocent
By Jennifer Thompson
Thompson, a North Carolina resident, tells her story and explains her support for a DNA bill in the U.S. Senate, which provides funds…
Read More »A Snitch’s Story
Leslie Vernon White, who has provided testimony in as many as 40 cases, described the process by which inmate informers fabricate evidence. White received widespread…
Read More »The Marietta Seven
On July 26, 1972, more than a year after the well publicized killings of two pathologists, Drs. Warren and Rozina Matthews, South Carolina State Police…
Read More »Wilton Dedge’s Story
On January 23, 1984, Clarence Zacke and Wilton Dedge were placed in a prison transport van together. They were the only two inmates in the…
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