www.innocenceproject.com

www.exonerated.com

www.activevoice.net

At the time of this writing there were over four hundred exonerees nationwide,

the numbers are much higher now.

Many of the most recent exonerations have been through the use of DNA evidence.

About the Exonerated
Innocent and Forgotten The exonerated are the increasing numbers of individuals in this country who have been convicted of crimes they did not commit, and manage to win release from prison after having proven their innocence. There are approximately four hundred exonerees nationwide. Many of the most recent exonerations have been through the use of DNA evidence. While there has been a significant attention surrounding the fact of wrongful conviction in this country, few Americans realize what awaits someone who has proven their innocence. Traumatized by their Experience A recent LAEP study of sixty exonerees nationwide confirmed that exonerees have considerable difficulty rebuilding their lives: half were living with family members two-thirds were not financially independent one-third lost custody of their children as a result of their wrongful incarceration at least a quarter suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder Let Down by Society a Second Time Most people do not realize that most states have no law providing compensation for an innocent person who wrongfully convicted for the time he or she spent in prison. In the states that do have compensation statutes, the amount is meager and the process to qualify for it is difficult for most exonerees to negotiate. What re-entry services are available to parolees are not available to exonerees. In most instances, a conviction remains on the exonerees record, even after the individual has proven innocence, thereby making it difficult for the exoneree to get a job, rent an apartment, or get credit.   Convicted of: Rape and Kidnapping State: California Served: 10 years Released: 2004 Compensated by State: NO Current Status: Self-employed Health Insurance: No Then: Harsh and coercive interrogation tactics led a teenage victim to suggest her assailant was Peter Rose. A father of four with no history of violent crime or sexual assault, Rose was convicted of rape and kidnapping and sentenced to twenty-seven years in prison, leaving his own children without a father and without support. He always maintained his innocence. At one of his first court hearings in 1995, Rose told the court "If the DNA tests were back it would show that I'm not the one." After serving ten years in California's Mule Creek State Prison, DNA testing proved him right. Rose’s conviction was vacated and he was set free. Now: Mr. Rose lives in Point Arena, a small coastal community in Northern California. The sole source of support for his four children and ailing mother, Mr. Rose works intermittently with his brother in commercial fishing. When not out on the water, Mr. Rose raises his four children, who were not allowed to visit him while he was incarcerated. California is one of twenty states that provides for compensation of the wrongfully convicted. Mr. Rose is hoping his compensation application will be approved. He plans to use some of the money buy and renovate houses. His dream is to own a home of his own, one his children can always come back to. Hometown: Point Arena, CA Convicted of: Rape and Murder State: Illinois Served: 27 years Released: 2003 Compensated by State: No Current Status: Unemployed and housing with family Health Insurance: No Then: Gerald Ford was still the President when Michael Evans and another teenager were convicted of a rape and murder they knew nothing about. Each was 17 years old, and each was sentenced to 200 to 400 years in prison. After spending twenty-seven years in the Illinois prison system, DNA confirmed his innocence. Now: Having left his South Side Chicago neighborhood as a teen, Mr. Evans returned as a middle-aged man. Although he had enrolled in prison programs to complete his high school diploma, he was unable to do so because the constant vigilance he maintained to protect his life in prison interfered with his studies. Currently living with his sister, Mr. Evans has yet to receive the meager compensation the state of Illinois offers an exoneree after twenty-seven years of imprisonment, Mr. Evans is looking for work. Imprisoned before he knew how to drive, he is in the process of completing driver's education so that he does not have to travel to remote job locations on public transportation. Thus far, his employment has been limited to the fast food industry. Hometown: Chicago Illinois Seeking: Driver's education, job training and employment, health insurance Convicted of: Aggravated Rape State: Louisiana Served: 22 years Released: 2003 Compensated by State: No Current Status: Unemployed and unable to afford housing Health Insurance: No Then: In 1981, Calvin Willis was convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for a rape he did not have anything to do with. He spent the next twenty-two years in Louisiana's infamous Angola State Prison. The dedication of his family and long-time advocate Janet Gregory helped secure DNA testing of the physical evidence in the case. DNA testing excluded Mr. Willis as the perpetrator, and he was set free. Now: When Calvin Willis finally went home, it was 2003 and home was his grandmother's house. Even if Mr. Willis qualifies under Louisiana's recently passed compensation law, he will receive no more than $150,000 for the 22 years he lost. In prison, Mr. Willis worked as a barber, but cannot continue to cut hair on the outside without a barber's license, which requires a high school degree. He has enrolled in GED test preparation classes, but the sporadic manual labor jobs he works to make ends meet got in the way. Mr. Willis is unemployed, and unable to cover his living expenses. He is currently enrolled in truck driving school. Hometown: Shreveport, Louisiana Seeking: Employment as a landscaper or truck driver, preferably with medical benefits.

PRIMARY RESOURCES National Institute of Justice (NIJ) http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/welcome.html Resource for government agencies. Publications from the Department of Justice. The Justice Project: http://www.justiceproject.org/ Campaign for Criminal Justice Reform. Including remarks by members of Congress in support of the Innocence Protection Act. National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) http://www.ncjrs.org/ Resource for documents (.pdf and .txt), including all Department of Justice DNA publications. Office of Justice Programs (OJP) http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ Crimelynx http://www.crimelynx.com/ Many links and resources for researching the criminal justice system. The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Combined DNA Index System CODIS Death Penalty Information Center http://deathpenaltyinfo.org An exhaustive store of information and scholarship regarding the Death Penalty. EYEWITNESS INDENTIFICATION RESOURCES New Jersey New Jersey Eyewitness ID Protocols In 2001, the New Jersey Attorney General ordered all police departments to adopt sequential double - blind lineup procedures. Northampton, Massachusetts Northampton Police Department ID Protocols The Northampton police department adopted the NIJ eyewitness guidelines in 2000 and implemented sequential double - blind lineup procedures as a best practice in 2001. Santa Clara County, California Santa Clara County ID Protocols According to an order from the district attorney's office, Santa Clara County implemented sequential double - blind lineup procedures in 2002. OTHER RESOURCES ABA Network- Criminal Justice Section http://www.abanet.org/crimjust/home.html American Bar Association. Information and legal links. National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers http://www.criminaljustice.org/ Links to member organizations (in most states), news, current events. Trial Lawyers for Public Justice http://www.tlpj.org/ National, public interest law firm with online database of over 2,300 contacts for public interest advocates. Bureau of Justice Statistics - Sourcebook http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/ Good source for statistics regarding the criminal justice system. SCIENCE Mitotyping http://www.mitotyping.com Explains mitochondrial DNA testing and includes links for further research. MITOMAP - A human mitochondrial genome database http://www.gen.emory.edu/mitomap.html Links to articles on mitochondrial DNA (over 1,000 articles). Law-Forensic.com - DNA technology http://www.law-forensic.com/dnalinks.htm STRbase http://www.cstl.nist.gov/biotech/strbase/ Much information regarding STR and other DNA testing. IN THE NEWS Stories of The Innocence Project on Court TV http://www.courttv.com/onair/shows/innocence_project/ PBS Frontline page on DNA http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/dna/cotton/ PBS Frontline Interview http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/dna/interviews/scheck.html In depth interview with Barry Scheck. PBS Frontline Story http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/case/ "The Case for Innocence". DOWNLOADS ASCLD/LAB Audit of the Virginia Crime Laboratory a. Acrobat (.pdf) Police Experiences With Recording Custodial Interrogations (Sullivan, Thomas; Summer 2004) a. Acrobat (.pdf) The Future of Forensic DNA Testing, Prediction of the Research and Development Working Group (2000) a. Acrobat (.pdf) Post conviction DNA Testing: Recommendations for Handling Requests (1999) a. Acrobat (.pdf) b. Text file (.txt) Convicted by Juries, Exonerated by Science: Case Studies in the Use of DNA Evidence to Establish Innocence after Trial (1996) a. Acrobat (.pdf) b. Text file (.txt) The Unrealized Potential of DNA Testing a. Acrobat (.pdf) b. Text file (.txt) What Every Law Enforcement Officer Should Know About DNA Evidence a. Acrobat (.pdf) b. Text file (.txt) Survey of DNA Crime Laboratories (1998) a. Acrobat (.pdf) b. Text file (.txt) Understanding DNA Evidence: A Guide for Victim Service Providers (May 2001) a. Acrobat (.pdf) b. Text file (.txt) Provides information about DNA testing, exonerations, and CODIS Using DNA to Solve Cold Cases (July 2002) a. Acrobat (.pdf) b. Text file (.txt) Thinking Strategically about Developments in Law Enforcement Technology remarks by Jeremy Travis, director of the NIJ, at the Citizens Crime Commission on 25 January 2000 a. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/speeches/thinklaw.htm National Conference on Science and the Law Proceedings a. Acrobat (.pdf) b. Text file (.txt) Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for Law Enforcement a. Acrobat (.pdf) b. Text file (.txt) LEGISLATION Innocence Project resources for the Innocence Protection Act of 2003 Innocence Project Legislation Page Includes commentary on the IPA, Peter Neufeld's Congressional testimony, a Model Statute for Obtaining DNA Testing, and remarks from Senator Patrick Leahy and Kirk Bloodsworth Innocence Protection Act of 2001: Full Text Version of S. 486 View at Thomas.loc.gov * 107th Congress, 1st Senate Session, Introduced 7 March 2001 * Sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) Innocence Protection Act of 2001: Full Text Version of H.R. 912 View at Thomas.loc.gov * 107th Congress, 1st House of Representatives Session, Introduced 7 March 2001 * Sponsored by Rep. William Delahunt (D-MA) Commission on Proceedings Involving Guy Paul Morin (Canada) Ontario Attorney General's Office Thomas Sophonow Inquiry Report (Canada) Province of Manitoba Justice Site