Texas

Latest Texas Forensic Flap Shows Major Gaps in Oversight of Scientific Evidence

March 16, 2010

Texas has seen more than its share of controversy surrounding forensic science in recent months.

Most recently, the Houston Chronicle reported that an audit of the Houston…

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Cole Pardon a Stark Reminder of the Need to Fix Eyewitness Procedures

March 16, 2010

On March 1 Texas Governor Rick Perry officially pardoned Timothy Cole, who was wrongfully convicted over two decades ago. Tragically, the DNA tests that proved…

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Convicting the Innocent: The Latest Texas Exonerations

October 2, 2009

In March 2009 The Justice Project published Convicting the Innocent: Texas Justice Derailed. The report chronicled the cases of 39 wrongfully convicted Texans who were…

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Jerry Lee Evans

October 2, 2009

When Jerry Lee Evans was prosecuted for a sexual assault in Dallas, he believed that the truth would come out when the victim took the…

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Ernest Sonnier

October 2, 2009

In 1986, Ernest Lee Sonnier was wrongfully convicted of aggravated kidnapping and rape in Houston and sentenced to life in prison. Twenty-three years later, DNA…

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Eyewitness Identification Policies in Texas (and the Lack Thereof)

October 2, 2009

Late last year The Justice Project released an extensive survey of existing police polices for conducting lineups in Texas. The study documented an alarmingly high…

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Electronic Recording of Custodial Interrogations in Texas: A Review of Current Statutes, Practices, and Policies

October 2, 2009

A reviewable record of an interrogation is invaluable to judges and juries forced to settle disputes about what took place in the interrogation room. Given…

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Improving Texas Forensics: Forensic Science Commission Events to Consider Implications of the National Academies of Science report for Texas

October 2, 2009

Prior to the recent shakeup at the Forensic Science Commission, the commissioners announced the first in a planned series of roundtable discussions on the implications for…

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Texas Governor Perry Replaces Forensic Science Commissioners at Key Juncture in Willingham Investigation

October 2, 2009

On September 30, Texas Governor Rick Perry replaced three members of the Texas Forensic Science Commission. The move drew national attention because the Commission is…

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The Timothy Cole Advisory Panel on Wrongful Convictions Begins Work

October 2, 2009

At the close of the 2009 legislative session lawmakers approved a bill creating the Timothy Cole Advisory Panel on Wrongful Convictions to assist the Task Force…

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TJP Advances Important Reforms in the Texas Legislature

April 24, 2009

The Justice Project has been working hard to advance much-needed criminal justice reforms in the current session of the Texas Legislature. The legislative session began…

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Eyewitness Identification Resources

December 5, 2008

Best Practice Recommendations

Eyewitness Evidence: A Guide for Law Enforcement
American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section: Report to the House of Delegates
IACP Training Keys (Key #600, Eyewitness Identification…

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Texas Criminal Justice Integrity Unit

November 4, 2008

In response to the wave of Texas wrongful convictions, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on June 3, 2008, announced the establishment of the Texas…

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Larry Fuller

September 9, 2008

Larry Fuller spent over 18 years in prison, after being wrongfully convicted of aggravated rape in 1981.He was convicted as the result of an erroneous…

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Christopher Ochoa and Richard Danziger

September 9, 2008

Christopher Ochoa and Richard Danziger each spent 12 years in prison for a rape and murder they did not commit. Ochoa, after hours of questioning,…

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Inadequate Discovery in Texas

September 3, 2008

Discovery is the formal process by which the prosecution discloses evidence to the attorney for accused. This exchange provides a basic foundation for accuracy and…

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Investigating Wrongful Convictions

September 3, 2008

Texas has a responsibility to investigate serious miscarriages of justice so that they are not repeated. Unfortunately, Texas has no official mechanism for investigating wrongful…

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Texas Summit on Wrongful Convictions

July 3, 2008

On May 8, 2008, State Senator Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) held a summit in Austin to find legal responses to the systemic problems in the Texas…

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Support for Innocence Commissions in Texas

June 25, 2008

Innocence Commissions and other mesures to promote better government oversight of the Texas criminal justice system have received widespread support . Earlier this year, State Senator Rodney…

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Forensic Science Failures in Texas

June 24, 2008

Investigative journalists and independent audits have exposed serious problems with the crime labs in Texas. These crime lab problems — ranging from loss and contamination…

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