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Wrongful Conviction

Police Scandal Eludes Media Radar

David Protess | Posted 05.14.2013 | Chicago
David Protess

A 20-year fight for freedom by two Northwest Side Chicago men will culminate tomorrow in a hearing on allegations they were railroaded.

Murder in Mississippi

David Protess | Posted 05.07.2013 | Chicago
David Protess

If the authorities in Mississippi have their way tomorrow, Willie Manning will be strapped to a gurney and injected with chemicals that will paralyze his lungs and stop his heart. It would be nice to know if he were guilty.

The Boiler Room

Andrea Lyon | Posted 05.01.2013 | Crime
Andrea Lyon

If you or I get a subpoena for documents, we are supposed to do our best to find them and produce them. A subpoena, after all is a court order. But the Chicago police see it differently.

Exonerating the Friedmans

Andrew Jarecki | Posted 04.26.2013 | Crime
Andrew Jarecki

A decade ago, my film Capturing the Friedmans ignited controversy by questioning allegations that terrible crimes were committed in the late 1980s by Arnold Friedman and his teenage son Jesse.

Returned From the Land of the Dead

Damien Echols | Posted 04.18.2013 | TV
Damien Echols

First, I should probably say that I'm not a big fan of prison shows. Or cop shows. Or lawyer shows. Or courtroom drama shows of any sort. I guess that's one of the side effects of being sentenced to death for a crime I didn't commit.

Dual Personalities Emerge in Wrongful Conviction Cases

David Protess | Posted 04.09.2013 | Chicago
David Protess

Law enforcement agencies across the country are increasingly reviewing old cases and proudly reporting their mistakes. Prosecutors have launched conviction integrity units in San Jose, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Lake County (IL), Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Man Freed After 40 Years In Prison, Enjoys "Apple telephone"

AP | BRIAN SKOLOFF | Posted 04.03.2013 | Crime

PHOENIX — Louis Taylor broke down in tears Wednesday as he described how he spent his first hours of freedom after more than 40 years in prison ...

Who Polices Prosecutors Who Abuse Their Authority? Usually Nobody

ProPublica | Posted 04.03.2013 | New York

By Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, and Sergio Hernandez, Special to ProPublica, April 3, 2013, 5:30 a.m. The murder case against Tony Bennett seemed...

Costs Spiral in Police Torture Scandal

David Protess | Posted 04.01.2013 | Chicago
David Protess

Eric Caine was wary of man's best friend, but he took a job as a dog-walker because he needed the money. Besides, work was hard to come by for a 45-year-old just released from prison after 25 years -- even though he hadn't committed the crime.

Man Who Spent Two Decades In Jail For Rabbi's Death Freed After Case Unravels

AP | TOM HAYS | Posted 03.22.2013 | New York

NEW YORK — A man who spent more than two decades behind bars for the cold-blooded slaying of a Brooklyn rabbi was released Thursday into the arm...

Man Jailed More Than Two Decades For Brooklyn Rabbi's Murder May Be Freed

AP | Posted 03.21.2013 | New York

NEW YORK — A man put behind bars for the 1990 killing of a Brooklyn rabbi was on the verge of freedom Wednesday after prosecutors told a judge t...

Executing the Death Penalty

David Protess | Posted 03.19.2013 | Chicago
David Protess

In 1999, a French journalist made a bold prediction to me. "Your country will abolish capital punishment in the next 25 years." I thought of our conversation on Friday when I learned that Maryland will ban capital punishment.

Detective Accused Of Perjury In Wrongful Conviction Case Resigns

Posted 03.18.2013 | Denver

A Fort Collins Police Detective accused of perjury in a case that led to the wrongful conviction of Tim Masters has resigned. An Associated Press r...

Life and Death Decisions by Cells, Investigated Under Life-threatening Conditions During WWII

James A. Shapiro | Posted 05.14.2013 | Science
James A. Shapiro

How cells make these signal-influenced choices is a major focus of contemporary, 21st Century research. The truly heroic story of Rita Levi-Montalcini illustrates how dedicated and inspired scientists can address advanced questions in the most difficult of circumstances.

Man Wrongfully Convicted Of Grisly Murder Wins $13.2 Million

AP | AMANDA LEE MYERS | Posted 03.10.2013 | Crime

CINCINNATI -- An Ohio man who was exonerated after spending 13 years in prison for murder cried as a federal jury found that two Cleveland police dete...

Matt Sledge

Documentary Filmmaker Pushes For Subject's Exoneration

HuffingtonPost.com | Matt Sledge | Posted 03.06.2013 | New York

NEW YORK -- The lawyer for the Long Island man at the heart of the documentary film "Capturing the Friedmans" thinks there are signs that a probe led ...

Remembering a Death Row Exonoree

David Protess | Posted 05.04.2013 | Chicago
David Protess

Want to save lives, prevent lawsuits and restore the integrity of the justice system? Remember Dennis Williams, who lost his 20s, 30s and eventually his life because those in power stubbornly refused to admit their fallibility.

Curious Details In Caravella Case

Sun Sentinel | Paula Mcmahon | Posted 04.29.2013 | Miami

When Miramar detectives interrogated Anthony Caravella about the 1983 murder of a local woman, the then-15-year-old eventually confessed to the crime....

Exonerated After 23 Years: Helped by Another Exonerated Victim

Anthony Papa | Posted 02.21.2013 | Crime
Anthony Papa

As an activist, I receive many requests for help from people who suffer from injustice or are imprisoned. Recouping lost freedom is the ultimate goal, but it is rarely achieved. However, once in a blue moon, through determination and help from others, this goal is met.

Did Homophobia Convict a Wisconsin Woman of Murder?

David Protess | Posted 04.21.2013 | Chicago
David Protess

In light of the progress that's been made by the LGBT movement, it's hard to imagine that not too long ago an innocent woman could be convicted of murder because she was a lesbian. And, it's harder still to believe that it could happen in a city like Madison, Wis.

Former Texas District Attorney Ken Anderson Denies Misconduct In Wrongful Conviction

AP | WILL WEISSERT | Posted 04.10.2013 | Politics

GEORGETOWN, Texas — A former Texas district attorney whose prosecution led to an innocent man spending 25 years in prison for his wife's murder ...

A Busy Year for the Texas Executioner, but Hank Skinner Eludes Death Again

David Protess | Posted 02.17.2013 | Chicago
David Protess

On death row for 18 Christmases, Hank Skinner has outlived more than 400 condemned men and women. How? Turns out the evidence was not what it seemed.

The Trials of Anthony Porter: From Exonerated Death Row Inmate to Paroled Shoplifter

David Protess | Posted 02.06.2013 | Chicago
David Protess

What will become of Anthony Porter? It is tragic to think that his only bright and shining moment was the day he was no longer condemned to die, a day when the whole world seemed to care about his fate.

Victims of Injustice Grateful at Thanksgiving

David Protess | Posted 01.20.2013 | Chicago
David Protess

As Thanksgiving approached, I caught up with five of the subjects of my stories in the last year and asked them the same question: What, if anything, are you grateful for? Here is what they said, accompanied by snapshots of their ordeals.

Woman Wins Huge Court Victory After Wrongful Conviction

AP | CAROLYN THOMPSON | Posted 01.13.2013 | Crime

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A New York woman who spent more than 13 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of killing her teenage daughter has rea...