Today, we bade a bittersweet farewell to Aaron Fellows, our amazing Legal Associate. Aaron’s keen insights and problem-solving skills have been invaluable as we transitioned to new screening and case-management systems. We’ll miss Aaron and wish him the best on his new journey!
Old-School Hair Analysis Is Junk Science. But It Still Keeps People Behind Bars
"A quarter of the 3,439 exonerations tracked by the National Registry of Exonerations involved false or misleading forensic evidence."
https://t.co/scnuGxQMPl
@AngryBlackLady Less than a month away from 49. I've accomplished the goals of my younger self, love my job, setting new goals to achieve. I'm winning! 😃
MAIP is #hiring! We have open positions for a full-time Staff Investigator and a part-time Data Specialist. If you are interested, please check out the link below and apply today! https://t.co/sLQT6bEUJw
When you threaten someone with 20 years in prison and then offer them a no-jail-time misdemeanor, you know what their guilty plea tells you about their culpability? Nothing whatsoever. Because it’s just as rational for an innocent person to take that deal as a for guilty person.
1 in 10 people in state prison today was homeless before turning 18.
1 in 5 was in public housing before 18.
1 in 5 was in foster care.
The U.S continues to allow kids to grow up in poverty - and then end up in prison.
Wow! New Jersey appellate court deems "Shaken Baby Syndrome" testimony inadmissible, finding "the lack of biomechanical support renders the theory scientifically unreliable, notwithstanding its support in the pediatric community.": https://t.co/jcaxFG6UZC
📰 @EurekAlert coverage of our new study of mental health among victims of the British #PostOfficeScandal...
"The research underscores the need to provide exonerees with support [as well as] victims of wrongful accusation." - @RichardMoorhead
https://t.co/PI1P5A6uK8
From the science of eyewitness memory to studies on how jurors think, Data for Defenders promotes creative & evidence-based advocacy through research. The database of briefs, motions, & transcripts is designed to expand the toolbox for defenders nationwide https://t.co/OjB48mEwfW
What happens after someone asks MAIP for help? Every year, we receive an average of 300 applications from incarcerated people who have claims of innocence. We have refined our screening process so that we can help more #wrongfullyconvicted people. https://t.co/unJDgSdaLL
Results from a recent study show that exonerees from racially marginalized groups spent more time #WrongfullyImprisoned compared to exonerees who are white.
https://t.co/fzOFH9ss0h
A recent study found that people who falsely confessed were also more likely to falsely plead guilty. Police use of coercive and deceptive interrogation tactics increases the risk of false confessions. #wrongfulconvictions https://t.co/o0SHy5mAMw
Right now, there is a public defender investigator trying to locate witnesses to show their client is innocent. They are canvassing the neighborhood, shelters, and encampments. They also have a hundred other cases on their desk. #FundPublicDefense#EndMassIncarceration
Police use commercial DNA databases to comb through the DNA data of hundreds of thousands of innocent people in search of a perpetrator. By exploiting loopholes, police can access the data of people who opted out of sharing their info. https://t.co/5XE600oO36