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Category Archives: costs of wrongful convictions
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
Forensics: Fraud and lies. Former Colorado analyst pleads guilty in DNA testing scandal
GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) — A former forensic analyst with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation pleaded guilty Tuesday to four felony counts stemming from accusations that she manipulated and omitted data to speed up the DNA testing process, calling into question … Continue reading
Forensics: Law. A world on trial: How lawyers documenting Israeli abuse pay a price | Israel-Palestine conflict
Behind the mounting evidence of crimes against Palestinians are the lawyers braving harassment and violence. — Read on http://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/6/19/a-world-on-trial-how-lawyers-documenting-israeli-abuse-pay-a-price
Forensics: Illinois has 600 exonerations since 1989. Senate approves landmark Sims measure to raise compensation for exonerees
SPRINGFIELD — People who have been exonerated in Illinois would have a clearer path to financial stability and support under a landmark measure led by State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. that has passed the… — Read on http://www.illinoissenatedemocrats.com/caucus-news/42-senator-elgie-r-sims-jr-news/6982-senate-approves-landmark-sims-measure-to-raise-compensation-for-exonerees
Forensics: Law. Executions and ruined lives. How forensic failure in the courtroom costs lives
How forensic failure in the courtroom costs lives — Read on thehill.com/opinion/criminal-justice/5897955-wrongful-convictions-junk-science/amp/