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Category Archives: costs of wrongful convictions
Forensics: Looking for the truth. When families question a death investigation, getting a second autopsy can be complicated
After investigators ruled 31-year-old high school counselor and coach Kelsey Harris’ death a suicide in 2021, her mother, Kellee, said she was not convinced the inquiry had answered the most important questions.About a week before Kelsey died, police had arrested … Continue reading
Forensics: A Primer On False Bitemark Evidence Cloaked as the Truth. When junk science decides guilt in the South. Case Studies.
Below is an opinion column by Jeremy Hutchinson, Mark Bowling and Mark Kate Mull: States should adopt the federal standard for expert testimony and make reliability a threshold requirement, not a question left for jurors to sort out after unreliable science … Continue reading
Forensics: Another bitemark case! 1989 Eugene murder conviction relied on junk science. Now the man wrongfully convicted has been released after 37 years.
A 1989 Eugene murder conviction relied on junk science. Now the man wrongfully convicted has been released – OPB — Read on http://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/18/a-1989-eugene-murder-conviction-relied-on-junk-science-now-the-man-wrongfully-convicted-has-been-released/
Forensics: Looking for scientific proofs. NJ Supreme Court Issues Landmark Decision on Reliability of Fingerprint Evidence
In a landmark decision that could have a far reaching impact on forensic practices and expert testimony admissibility standards, the New Jersey… — Read on http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/nj-supreme-court-issues-landmark-6710351/
Forensics: In Utah, a new DNA profile could upend a 40-year-old death row case
Prosecutors want to confirm whether or not DNA found on evidence is not a match to Douglas Carter, but a defense attorney said findings so far “exonerated” him. “The only consideration which [ought] to remain is how make right the … Continue reading
Forensics: Cops lie in court. Pay $9M to Man Who Spent 17 Years in Prison After Being Wrongfully Convicted, City Lawyers Recommend | Chicago News
Wrongful convictions have long been the most expensive kind of police misconduct in Chicago, costing taxpayers $131.5 million in the first six months of 2026, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News. — Read on news.wttw.com/2026/07/09/pay-9m-man-who-spent-17-years-prison-after-being-wrongfully-convicted-city-lawyers
Obstinate District Attorney II: Investigating how District Attorneys reprosecute vacated convictions
Prosecutors are pleased with convictions. Defendants appeal. Sometimes defendants win. Then the prosecution re-prosecutes. Double jeopardy? Nope. … Obstinate District Attorney II: Investigating how District Attorneys reprosecute vacated convictions
Forensics: Louisiana death row prisoner freed after bite mark evidence deemed ‘scientifically indefensible’
Justice Cade Cole wrote on behalf of the seven-member court that new evidence presented by Duncan’s legal team left no doubt that his conviction should be overturned. — Read on lailluminator.com/2026/06/30/louisiana-bite-mark/
Forensics: Cook County Has Been Called the Wrongful Conviction Capital of the US. New Book Explores Why
Illinois makes up about 15% of wrongful conviction cases nationwide, according to Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve, the author behind “Crime Fictions: How Racist Lies Built a System of Mass Wrongful Conviction.” — Read on news.wttw.com/2026/06/23/cook-county-has-been-called-wrongful-conviction-capital-us-new-book-explores-why
Forensics: Another bitemark exoneration. Conviction of man in 1989 Eugene murder is tossed out under new ‘junk science’ law
A new state law lists bite-mark analysis as a discredited forensic science, and Oregon Department of Justice attorneys agreed that under the law the conviction of Robert Lyons should be vacated. The Lane County District Attorney must decide whether to … Continue reading
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