The number of death sentences imposed by US courts has fallen because of a growing number of exonerations through DNA testing, according to a report by a prominent anti-death penalty group.
The Death Penalty Information Centre in Washington says judges and juries imposed fewer death sentences over the past 12 months than at any time since the restoration of execution in 1976.
This year 106 death sentences have been passed, the seventh straight year the number has fallen and sharply down on the high of 328 in 1994. Richard Dieter, DPIC's director and author of the report, said the fall reflected growing concern over the reliability of convictions. "The principal reason is the innocence cases, the exonerations, people getting out because of DNA testing.
"People read about these exonerations, people walking out of prison 20 years after the crime. Jurors are convicting but giving life sentences not the death penalty."The number of death sentences imposed by US courts has fallen because of a growing... more
35 years of false imprisonment, and this morning, he is back out in the real world. I wish him and his family and friends all the very best.35 years of false imprisonment, and this morning, he is back out in the real world. I... more
Bartow, Florida (CNN) -- After more than three decades in prison, James Bain is eager to be able to help his wheelchair-bound mother.
If all goes as planned in a Florida courtroom Thursday, Bain, 54, will be allowed to go home for the first time in 35 years -- free from his life sentence thanks to a DNA test that showed he was not the man who took a 9-year-old Lake Wales, Florida, boy from his bed in 1974 and raped him.
"It's just hard to believe," said Bain's mother, Sarah Reed, who has been in and out of hospitals in recent years.
"He was just a child when he went in there. I've been trying to hold on. I've had things wrong with me, and I was afraid I wouldn't be here when he got out," she told CNN.
Of the 245 people in the United States who have been exonerated by DNA testing, none has spent more time behind bars than Bain, according to the Innocence Project, a national organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing.Bartow, Florida (CNN) -- After more than three decades in prison, James Bain is eager... more
"denying ability to prove innocence violates fundamental rights; many sign as part
of plea-bargain for lighter sentence""denying ability to prove innocence violates fundamental rights; many sign as... more
Some days, I am ashamed to be an American. Today, I've been astonished and outraged by yesterday's 5-4 Supreme Court decision that prisoners have no constitutional right to DNA testing that might prove their innocence.Some days, I am ashamed to be an American. Today, I've been astonished and... more
This week, an al Qaeda spokesman revealed he has Jewish ancestry. How DNA testing is unearthing Judaism in the roots of unlikely family trees—and even prompting some people to convert.
When Adam Gadahn, al Qaeda's American spokesman, issued a statement this weekend revealing that his grandfather was Jewish, it caused jaws to drop. But it’s hardly the first time Jewish ancestry has turned up in unexpected places: Madeleine Albright, Fidel Castro, and John Kerry all claim Jewish heritage.
Now, the ranks of “hidden Jews” are suddenly growing. As the personal use of DNA testing gains popularity, more people are unearthing Jewish roots they never knew they had, and such discoveries are raising the question of whether there is in fact a genetic and biological connection to Jewish affiliation—and whether DNA discoveries will make more hidden genetic Jews convert to the religion and become practicing Jews, or at least begin to feel more strongly affiliated with the culture.This week, an al Qaeda spokesman revealed he has Jewish ancestry. How DNA testing is... more
Movie description>>"Based on true events during the 2000 election, AMERICAN VIOLET tells the astonishing story of Dee Roberts (critically hailed newcomer Nicole Beharie), a 24 year-old African American single mother of four young girls living in a small Texas town who is barely able to make ends meet.
While police drag Dee from work in handcuffs, dumping her in the squalor of the women’s county prison, the powerful local district attorney (Academy Award® nominee Michael O’Keefe) leads an extensive drug bust, sweeping her housing project with military precision. Dee soon discovers she has been charged as a drug dealer.
Even though Dee has no prior drug record and no drugs were found on her in the raid, she is offered a hellish choice: plead guilty and go home as a convicted felon or remain in prison, jeopardizing her custody and risking a long prison sentence.
She chooses to fight the district attorney and the unyielding criminal justice system, risking everything in a battle that forever changes her life and the Texas justice system. AMERICAN VIOLET also stars Academy Award® nominee Alfre Woodard, Emmy Award® winner Charles S. Dutton, Tim Blake Nelson, Will Patton and Xzibit.
NOTE: American Violet was initially inspired by an NPR story by Wade Goodwyn.
That was six years ago. Much of the film was informed by thousands of pages of information provided on a range of stories by the ACLU among others. A variety of media reports and legal documents, including sworn testimony, depositions and affidavits, all of which can be found on the public record also helped us find authentic patterns and voices for our storytelling. Finally, taped interviews with community members who had experienced circumstances similar to those outlined in our work proved useful.
However, American Violet is not a documentary. It is a narrative feature film that is, as it says, based on true events. Some scenes and characters have been fictionalized for dramatic effect and have no relationship to the historical record. Names have been changed to protect the innocent and also to protect this film."Movie description>>"Based on true events during the 2000 election, AMERICAN... more
The schoolboy alleged to have become a dad aged 12 is not the baby’s father, the Mirror can reveal.
Alfie Patten, now 13, had a £300 DNA test after half a dozen boys claimed to have slept with schoolgirl pal Chantelle Stedman, 15.
It proved the 4ft-tall pupil was not the father of her seven-week-old girl Maisie Roxanne.
The result will be a blow to Alfie who was “devastated” by the boys’ claims and “adored” Maisie.
He was convinced he was the dad after a single night of unprotected sex with Chantelle.The schoolboy alleged to have become a dad aged 12 is not the baby’s father, the... more
The illegal use of DNA testing to determine the sex of fetuses in the developing world is widely known, but now, concern is growing in the United Kingdom that the availability of prenatal paternity tests is encouraging women to terminate fetuses that are the result of extramarital affairs.The illegal use of DNA testing to determine the sex of fetuses in the developing world... more
Since 1998, the Center on Wrongful Convictions has been dedicated to identifying and rectifying wrongful convictions and other serious miscarriages of justice.
Narrated by the Center's co-founder and executive director, Rob Warden, this short video highlights the Center's past accomplishments and points to the future of reform.
See if you can spot in the video President-elect Obama and friend of the Center Barack Obama.
Footage from Laurie Feldman's documentary The Innocent, and Rob Hess and News@Northwestern.
Photo credits: Loren Santow and Jennifer Linzer.Since 1998, the Center on Wrongful Convictions has been dedicated to identifying and... more
Authorities said Monday they have positively identified some of Steve Fossett's remains: two large bones found a half-mile from where the adventurer's plane crashed in California's Sierra Nevada.
Madera County Sheriff John Anderson said DNA tests conducted by the state Department of Justice positively identified the bones as the remains of the millionaire aviator who disappeared last year.
Fossett's widow, Peggy Fossett, released a statement thanking authorities for their work.
"I am hopeful that the DNA identification puts a definitive end to all of the speculation surrounding Steve's death. This has been an incredibly difficult time for me, and I am thankful to everyone who helped bring closure to this tragedy," she said.
The bones were discovered last week, along with Fossett's tennis shoes and Illinois driver's license, which had animal bite marks on them.
Fossett disappeared in September 2007 after taking off from a Nevada ranch owned by hotel magnate Barron Hilton for what was supposed to be a short pleasure flight. Law enforcement, fellow aviators and others launched a costly search that covered 20,000 square miles but turned up empty.
The wreckage of Fossett's plane was discovered last month after a hiker walking off trail in the Sierra Nevada near Mammoth Lakes stumbled across Fossett's pilot's license and a wad of weathered $100 bills. Authorities said Fossett likely died on impact.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. Authorities said Monday they have positively identified some of Steve Fossett's... more
Since Johnnie Lee Savory was released from prison, he has been organizing with other unjustly convicted people, including many of the survivors of former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge's regime of torture.
For decades these survivors have cried out for justice, and finally, on October 21, 2008, their calls were heard when U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald arrested Burge for his crimes.
In this video, some of the survivors talk about what happened to them and their continuing fight for justice. Since Johnnie Lee Savory was released from prison, he has been organizing with other... more
Johnnie Lee Savory spent 30 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. In this clip, Johnnie talks about how he finds the strength to fight back.Johnnie Lee Savory spent 30 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. In this... more
Johnnie Lee Savory describes how he was unjustly convicted at 14 and sentenced to 50-100 years. To find out more about Johnnie Lee Savory, go to his blog at http://justiceforsavory.windycitizen.comJohnnie Lee Savory describes how he was unjustly convicted at 14 and sentenced to... more
Steve Drizin tells the story of Johnnie Lee Savory, a man who spent 30 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Mr. Drizin is the director of Northwestern University School of Law's Center on Wrongful Conviction and helped win Johnnie's parole. This video was filmed at a Rainbow Push Coalition Saturday Morning Forum.Steve Drizin tells the story of Johnnie Lee Savory, a man who spent 30 years in prison... more
After 18 years in prison, 53-year-old Robert McClendon was released and exonerated after new DNA evidence proved he did not kidnap and sexually assault a 10-year-old.
A large group of relatives was waiting for McClendon when he appeared at the back entrance to the county jail in Columbus, Ohio. "I'm just glad to be here with my family, who's supported me all these years," McClendon said. "You can't make it up. All you can do is move forward."
McClendon applied for DNA testing in 2004, but his case - like many others - got lost in the system. Judge Charles Schneider, who granted McClendon his freedom, said he could not explain why he did not act sooner on the DNA testing.
"All the judges here carry an average caseload of 800-some cases. The sheer volume makes it difficult," he said after the hearing. "Slipping through the cracks is unfortunately a reality of a heavy caseload."After 18 years in prison, 53-year-old Robert McClendon was released and exonerated... more
A Guatemalan woman whose daughter was taken from her and handed over for adoption has spoken of the challenges at being reunited with her child.
Ana Escobar said spending more than a year apart had badly affected both mother and baby.
DNA tests in Guatemala have proved that Esther Sulamita is Ms Escobar's child, the first proven case of baby theft for adoption in Guatemala.
The pair are now back together and adoptions remain banned in Guatemala. A Guatemalan woman whose daughter was taken from her and handed over for adoption has... more
Thomas Arthur has been on death row since 1982. His execution is set for July 31 -- although strong doubts remain about his guilt. The governor of Alabama is refusing to allow DNA tests that may prove his innocence.
Twice already, Sherrie Stone has said farewell to her father for what she thought was the last time. Twice she told him "my goodbyes," as she puts it, in a prison in Atmore, Alabama. Twice she watched him shuffle off to his cell on death row, where he has been waiting to die for 26 years.
Twice his execution has been postponed, only hours beforehand.
Next week, Stone, 47, will go to Atmore a third and probably last time. An eight-hour drive from Florida, where she lives, to Alabama, where her father, Thomas Arthur, has been incarcerated for murder since 1982. On July 31, when he is finally to die by lethal injection, Stone will go through the farewell motions yet again. It doesn't get any easier.
Read more...Thomas Arthur has been on death row since 1982. His execution is set for July 31 --... more
Is reading someone's genetic code the same thing as practicing medicine? That issue has always loomed over the nascent direct-to-consumer genetic-testing industry, which includes such well-known names as 23andme, Navigenics, and DeCodeMe.
It has become very real now that California public-health officials have ordered 13 online companies to immediately stop offering their services in that state.
The companies offer genetic tests that look for DNA mutations associated with a higher risk of developing heart trouble, dementia, or other maladies. Some critics have said that the science behind some of these tests is relatively new and may be incomplete.
Others say the tests are dangerous because they can identify risk factors for some conditions that have no treatment, such as Alzheimer's disease.
The California Department of Public Health contends the services violate medical-testing rules that require a physician's involvement and proof that tests produce a valid medical result.
The real issue, however, may be as much about turf and how society will react to this new technology as patient safety.
Companies offering the tests have made a point of sidestepping doctors, insisting that consumers have a right to know the information coded in their genes. They also have said that the results they deliver are informational, not diagnostic.
Bypassing traditional medical outlets is an important issue for these companies, since much of the medical establishment hasn't yet embraced widespread genetic testing. Traditional health-care providers tend to be skeptical of the usefulness of the results.
That skepticism would not bode well for a business model that depends on them to be the gatekeepers for ordering these tests. Requiring a doctor's approval also seems overly paternalistic to many believers of the Web 2.0 ethos of free access to personal information.Is reading someone's genetic code the same thing as practicing medicine? That... more
