The Criminal Justice Reformer: Vol 3 #5
DID YOU KNOW?
In more than 15 percent of cases involving individuals later exonerated by DNA testing, an informant or jailhouse snitch testified against the defendant. Read more below.
Featured Reform
Improving Standards for Admissibility of Snitch Testimony
An informant or jailhouse snitch testified against the defendant in more than 15 percent of cases involving individuals later exonerated by DNA testing. In the face of serious concerns about the inherent unreliability of jailhouse snitches there are measures that states can implement to help ensure that the use of cooperating witness testimony does not undermine fairness and accuracy in criminal trials. Read more about this reform and a reform bill in California.
State Updates
TN: Death Penalty Study Bill Passed
Thanks to the efforts of The Tennessee Justice Project and allies, the Tennessee Legislature recently passed a bill creating a special committee for the study of the state’s death penalty system. Find out more about the commission’s goals and why specific reforms are needed in Tennessee.
TX: Important Reforms Passed
The Texas legislature recently passed two important bills in the areas of forensic oversight and access to post-conviction DNA testing. The bills, supported by The Justice Project and our allies, represent important improvements in the state’s criminal justice system. Read more this victory!
CA: Eyewitness and Recording Bills Considered
New legislation on the electronic recording of custodial interrogations and eyewitness identification reform are expected to be reviewed by the California Assembly Public Safety Committee on June 26. Read more about these bills and the reforms they promote.
NJ: State Supreme Court Rules on Identifications
A unanimous decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court orders trial judges to inform jurors of the unreliability of eyewitness identification testimony before jury deliberation begins. Read more about this decision.
RI: YOU Can Help Support Reform Bills!
Rhode Island residents can urge state lawmakers to support bills improving eyewitness identification procedures and mandating the electronic recording of custodial interrogations. Take action online today!
TJP in the News
Prevent Wrongful Convictions
The Connecticut General Assembly failed to pass a bill this session that would have established procedures for conducting effective eyewitness identifications. In a letter to the editor published in The Hartford Courant on May 28, John Terzano, President of The Justice Project, calls attention to a Connecticut exoneree who was wrongly convicted based on a mistaken eyewitness identification. Read John’s letter.
