Prison Blog - Genpop.org

On Torture and Interrogation Methods

2010-03-09T13:39:00.000-08:00

The idea that coercive interrogation works rests on an untested and largely unsupported framework, says Shane O'Mara, director of the Institute of Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

Read the rest:

Boing Boing

Use Your Miles to Help The Exonerated

2010-03-04T10:33:00.001-08:00

From the Innocence Project:

Dear Courtney,
Thank you for your continued support and activism to help free the innocent. Today, I’m writing with a simple and unique opportunity for you to help people who have been exonerated after serving years or decades in prison for crimes they didn’t commit. Without spending a dime, you can help us send exonerees to Atlanta this April for the annual Innocence Network Conference.
Please donate points through your credit card program or miles through your airline frequent-flier plan, and we will use all of the donations to help exonerees attend this critical gathering. American Express Rewards Points are particularly easy for us to process, but we can also work with other credit card and airline programs. If you are interested in using your points or miles to help exonerees, please call me at 212-364-5992 or email me at aamel@innocenceproject.org.
The Innocence Network conference is the only event all year where exonerees from around the country gather to network, receive support from one another, learn ways to cope and transition back into the world after prison, and find ways to prevent future wrongful convictions. This year, we have had more requests for financial assistance for travel than ever. Without donations of points or miles, we will have to say no to some of these requests.
Help us make this conference the best one yet for as many exonerees as possible. Donating points or miles only takes a minute, and it can have a profound impact on the exonerated. Thank you for your support.
Best regards,
Angela Amel
Director of Social Work
The Innocence Project

airmiles, exonerated, points, innocence project, wrongful conviction, prison, rime, law, criminal justice

Solitary is Torture

2010-02-26T16:05:00.001-08:00

Great video, pass it on:

prison, crime, law, solitary confinement, inmate, locked up, torture, incarceration

Interesting Wrongful Conviction Stats

2010-02-26T08:59:00.001-08:00

From the Texas Observer:

—The 250 innocent people have been sent to prison in 33 states for a combined 3,160 years. That's an average of 13 years in prison. Think about where you were in 1997. (I was in the middle of my sophomore year in college). Bill Clinton was just a year into his second term. Now think about spending every day from 1997 till now in prison for a crime you didn’t commit.

—60 percent of the 250 exonerees are African American; 29 percent are white.

—17 were on death row when they were exonerated. That’s 17 innocent people who would have been executed had DNA testing not cleared them. You have to assume there's been an innocent person somewhere who wasn’t lucky enough to have testable DNA in their case and was wrongly executed in this country—quite possibly in Texas and quite possibly Cameron Todd Willingham.

—76 percent of the wrongful convictions were caused, at least in part, by witness misidentification. In 38 percent of the cases, more than one eyewitness wrongly identifying an innocent person.

Read the rest: Who Gets Wrongly Convicted and Why

prison, crime, law, innocence, innocence project, wrongful convcition, wrongfully convicted, exonerated

Johnny Depp Believes in West Memphis Three's Innocence

2010-02-23T15:24:00.001-08:00

From The Huffington Post:

Johnny Depp will appear on this Saturday's "48 Hours Mystery" as he makes a plea for a new trial for the West Memphis Three, three teenagers accused of murdering three boys in a satanic ritual in 1994.
As seen in the preview clip below, Depp says, "I firmly believe Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley are totally innocent. It was a need for swift justice to placate the community.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

prison, crime, law, west memphis three, johnny depp, 48 hours mystery, murder, damien echols, jason baldwin, jessie misskelley

Give a Sick Woman Proper Medical Care

2010-02-15T11:31:00.001-08:00

Please take action and call and e-mail Commissioner Epps and Governor Barbour this week. The goal is to have 1k (one thousand) people call and e-mail. Please make this a priority - Jamie's life is at stake. Also, if you have not already, sign the petition on the front page of this ning site. Please also send a copy of responses to mail@wrongfulconvictions.ning.com

Please call the following this week
Christopher Epps - and Ask that Jamie Scott #19197 be given proper medical care and that he also allow an outside specialist who has committed to volunteer his time, to examine her.

Christopher Epps Commissioner
Mississippi Department of Corrections

723 North President Street
Jackson, Mississippi 39202

601-359-5621 (Phone)
601-359-5680 (FAX)
CEPPS@mdoc.state.ms.us

Haley Barbour - Assistant
Ask that the governor release both Jamie Scott #19197 and Gladys Scott#19142 Jamie Scott is currently in poor health and the sisters have served over 15 years in prison where no one was murdered or injured. Conflictingly, this was based on $11, (eleven dollars)

Haley Barbour -
Personal Assistant
Dorothy Kuykendall
1-877-405-0733
(601) 359-3150
DKuykendall@governor.state.ms.us

Visit WrongfulConvictions at: http://wrongfulconvictions.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

prison, crime, law, jamie scott, woman, ill, sick

Freddie Peacock is 250th Exonerated

2010-02-04T12:57:00.001-08:00

250 is too many people, let's do something about this!

(NEW YORK, NY; Thursday, February 4, 2010) - A Rochester, New York, man who was wrongfully convicted of rape 33 years ago is being exonerated with DNA testing today, in what the Innocence Project said is the 250th DNA exoneration in the United States.

Freddie Peacock, 60, was convicted of rape in December 1976. He was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and released on parole in 1982. He tried to remain on parole because he thought he would never be able to clear his name if he was released from state supervision. For the last 28 years since he left prison, he has fought to prove his innocence even though he was no longer incarcerated.

"Freddie Peacock was released many years ago, but he hasn't been truly free because the cloud of this conviction hung over him," said Olga Akselrod, the Innocence Project Staff Attorney handling the case. The Innocence Project is affiliated with Cardozo School of Law. "Nobody in the U.S. who was exonerated with DNA testing has spent this many years outside of prison fighting to prove his innocence. Today, the decades-long nightmare that Freddie Peacock and his family have endured is finally over."

prison, crime, law, dna testing, dna, exonerated, exoneration, freddie peacock, innocence, innocence project, rape, wrongfully convicted, wrongful conviction

New Prison Blog

2010-02-03T09:34:00.001-08:00

And Justice for All? by Littlesun, go check it out, subscribe, follow: http://prisonzombie.blogspot.com/

prison, crime, law, blog

Court Dimisses Suit Againts John Grisham

2010-02-03T09:26:00.001-08:00

Ada — A libel suit by former Pontotoc County District Attorney Bill Peterson against author John Grisham was dismissed in federal appeals court in Denver Monday.

The suit also included allegations against Dennis Fritz who was convicted of a heinous murder, along with Ron Williamson, until DNA two decades after the fact was proved not to match crime scene evidence. Both Grisham and Fritz wrote books about the case which presented information Peterson said was libelous.

The Tulsa World reports that 10th U.S. Circuit Judge Carlos Lucero said the fact public officials were plaintiffs in the case made the burden of proof more difficult.

“Given that plaintiffs are public officials, they face an especially heavy burden in attempting to demonstrate libel,” The Tulsa World reports the judge as writing.

AdaEveningNews.com - Ada, Oklahoma - Court dismisses Peterson suit again

john grisham, bill peterson, dennis fritz, wrongful conviction, innocence, author, book, prison, crime, law

Repeal the Death Penalty in South Dakota

2010-02-03T09:20:00.001-08:00

Count on my neighbor Representative Gerald Lange (D-8/Madison) to stand up for principle and good policy. Lange is prime sponsor of House Bill 1245, a measure to repeal South Dakota's death penalty. Thirteen legislators, all Democrats, have signed their name to this bill. I applaud them for having the gumption to look South Dakota's screwed-up, bloodthirsty machismo in the eye and say that killing people, even killing bad people, is wrong.

Madville Times: HB 1245: Repeal Death Penalty in South Dakota

south dakota, death penalty, death sentence, death row, capital punishment, execution, prison, crime, law

KPBS Special: Life In Prison: The Cost Of Punishment

2010-02-03T09:17:00.001-08:00

This 30-minute documentary explores the cost of California’s “tough on crime” legislation. It gives you an inside look into three state prisons, including the California Medical Facility. CMF houses the oldest and sickest inmates in the state.

KPBS Special: Life In Prison: The Cost Of Punishment « Prisonmovement's Weblog

kpbs, prison, crime, law, california, tough on crime, california medial facility

John Bradley Violated Texas Open Meetings Act

2010-02-03T09:14:00.001-08:00

Rick Casey of the Houston Chronicle has a column today on how Rick Perry's handpicked puppet/chair of the Texas Forensic Science Commission violated the Texas Open Meetings Act (PDF) at Friday's meeting, which was held in Harlingen. The Dallas Morning News' Trailblazer blog first reported on Bradley's violation of the TOMA. Bradley should be removed as chair of the Commission. He has proven by his handling of the first meeting that his main goal was to cover-up and impede the investigation into whether Texas relied on faulty arson evidence to execute a person who did not kill anyone.

One of the Commission members should offer a motion at the next meeting of the Commission to recommend that Rick Perry replaces Bradley as chair. Bradley is an elected district attorney. He knows about the TOMA. He obviously violated the act on purpose as part of his cover-up of the Willingham investigation. The commission members should also read up on Robert's Rules of Order to make sure they know how to exercise their own authority to control Bradley.

Read the rest: Texas Moratorium Network: More on How John Bradley Violated Texas Open Meetings Act at Texas Forensic Science Commission Meeting

prison, crime, law, cameron todd willingham, john bradley, texas, forensics, arson, murder, wrongful conviction, innocence, executed

BREAKING: Kansas Votes to End the Death Penalty

2010-01-29T15:13:00.001-08:00

Amazing news out of Kansas today:

TOPEKA – The Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill Friday that would abolish the state’s death penalty for crimes committed after July 1.

By a vote of 7-4, the bill now goes to the full Senate for discussion.

Senators had considered two bills: Senate Bill 208, which was debated last year, and Senate Bill 375, which replaces the death penalty with the crime of aggravated murder. The new crime comes with a mandatory life without parole sentence.

The committee tabled the first bill and moved forward Senate Bill 375.

Voting yes were Republican senators Dwayne Umbarger, Thayer; John Vratil, Leawood; Mary Pilcher Cook, Shawnee; Les Donovan, Wichita; Chairman Tim Owens, Overland Park, and Democratic senators Laura Kelly, Topeka and David Haley, Kansas City, Kan.

UPDATED: Senate Judiciary panel passes bill to eliminate the death penalty | Wichitopekington | Wichita Eagle Blogs

kansas, death penalty, senate, judiciary committee, capital punishment, abolition, death sentence, death row, execution

Rest In Peace Howard Zinn

2010-01-28T11:38:00.001-08:00

Howard Zinn, author of the People's History of the United States, has died at age 87. He was an avid supporter of prison reform and concerned with many prison issues. He volunteered and participated in many prison-related non-profit events and fundraisers. He sat on the board of the Prisons Foundation.

The world has lost an incredible man. I urge you to buy A People's History of the United States It will change how you see the entire world.

howard zinn, prison

Backlogs at HPD Lab

2010-01-28T10:31:00.001-08:00

The Houston Police Department has developed a backlog of more than 300 cases in which firearm forensics have not been performed, the third major area of evidence awaiting analysis to build up as the crime lab works to achieve full legitimacy after being engulfed in scandal for years.

Despite years of effort aimed at cleaning up the problems that led to the wrongful convictions of at least four men, backlogs for thousands of cases also have developed in rape kits and fingerprint analysis.

Although the recent issues highlighted in an audit of HPD's fingerprint unit do not involve the crime lab — the two are separate entities — police in both instances have cited ongoing staff shortages, retirements and training requirements to explain the backlog of evidence.

“We're not sitting back here and twiddling our thumbs,” said Crime Lab Director Irma Rios.

Labs across the country have backlogs, and the department has added staff, upgraded facilities and procedures, and is poised to begin using robotics in about 15 months to decrease the number of cases, she said.

“We're accountable, we realize we have a tremendous responsibility ... These backlogs didn't occur overnight, they took many, many years,” Rios said.

Backlog woes continue at HPD lab | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

hpd, rape kits, crime, law, prison, wrongful convictions, dna test, forensics

Texas Forensic Science Commission to Meet Tomorrow: Willingham not on Agenda

2010-01-28T10:28:00.001-08:00

The Texas Forensic Science Commission is meeting tomorrow for the first time in six months. This is the commission's first meeting since Gov. Rick Perry suddenly replaced its chair and several of its members while it was in the middle of an investigation into the case of Cameron Todd Willingham.

The Innocence Project will stream live video of the meeting on its website at:
http://www.innocenceproject.org/tfsc.

NCADP - The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

cameron todd willingham, innocence project, innocence, wrongful conviction, wrongfully convicted, death penalty, death sentence, death row, capital punishment, arson, forensics, texas, execution, crime, law, prison, murder

Ohio Inmates to Get Email

2010-01-27T09:39:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the 21st century, Ohio!

A new system that allows Ohio inmates to get e-mail could help save the state money and cut down on contraband, which often arrives in regular mail, prison officials said.

The state is setting up a system to allow inmates to view e-mail messages from friends and family.

Ohio will become the 13th state, along with Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania, to use the e-mail system, which will debut Feb. 23 at the Madison Correctional Institution in London and expand to all 31 state prisons a month later.

“We very strongly believe that contact with friends and family, community involvement, helps inmates stay engaged and prepares them for re-entry to the community,” said Julie Walburn, spokeswoman for the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

The system will dramatically reduce the 14.7 million pieces of mail flowing in and out of the prisons each year and relieve pressure on staff members handling mail, she said.

Ohio Prison Watch: New system to allow Ohio inmates to get e-mail

email, ohio, doc, inmate, prison, crime, law, mail, letters

Governor O'Malley and the Death Penalty

2010-01-26T09:47:00.001-08:00

Awesome editorial on Maryland Governor O'Malley's stance on capital punishment. Thanks @executedtoday!

But I wonder: If O’Malley is so courageous, and this is such an issue of principle for him, why are there still five people on death row in Maryland? Why doesn’t he commute their sentences to life imprisonment, as Maryland’s constitution and laws empower him to do? It would certainly be a more permanent -- and forthright -- approach than this indirect foot-dragging routine with the lethal injection protocols.

To be sure, clearing Death Row wouldn’t achieve his ultimate goal of abolishing the death penalty. But it would save the lives of five people sentenced under what the Commission on Capital Punishment has told the governor was an irretrievably flawed process -- and whose executions, according to O’Malley, would serve no purpose even if that process had been absolutely pristine.

PostPartisan - Why doesn't O'Malley clear death row?

maryland, death penalty, o'malley, death row, death sentence, capital punishment, execution, prison, crime, law

Take Action: Free Efrén

2010-01-26T09:41:00.001-08:00

Follow the link below to sign the petition:

Efrén Paredes, Jr. was arrested at age 15 and wrongly convicted in 1989 for a murder and armed robbery he did not commit; a crime to which others have admitted guilt. He has been imprisoned now over 20 years. The crime occurred in St. Joseph, Michigan (Berrien County), USA.

Efrén had no criminal history previous to his arrest and was a high school honor student at the time. He was tried and convicted only three months after his arrest on March 15, 1989 and convicted by 11 White jurors and one Black juror in a city whose racial composition was 95% White. The judge, prosecutor, and all the investigating police were also all White.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Berrien County ranks among the top 25 most segregated metropolitan areas in the country. It is also important to note that all the youth in Berrien County who have received life without parole (LWOP) sentences have been children of color. Efrén is also the only Latino youth in Berrien County history to receive a LWOP sentence.

Actions | Criminal Justice | Change.org

prison, crime, law, wrongful conviction, wrongfully convicted, murder, armed robbery, convicted, innocent, efrén paredes, governor granholm, michigan

Dope is for Dopes

2010-01-25T09:35:00.001-08:00

Interesting: This is the program my friend at Grafton is hoping to be part of soon:

Recently, Coach Cullin had inmates from the Grafton Correctional Institution come and talk to students here at CHS. For many years now, Coach has coordinated it so that inmates come each trimester and try to influence students to make the right choices.

For most of the students, it is just a time to get out of class, but for others it is a great opportunity to learn from others’ mistakes.

The prisoners that came were from the “Dope is for Dopes” program and get no reward for coming and speaking. On this trip, there were two speakers both with very different stories.

The first speaker was serving a five-year prison sentence for producing methamphetamine. He had come from Akron, and had a very difficult childhood. When younger, his stepfather used to abuse him and his mother. His stepfather and mom were both drug and alcohol users, who had no intention of quitting.

The Observer: Cloverleaf Inside and Out - Cloverleaf High School - Grafton Inmates Visit CHS

prison, crime, law, dope, drugs, inmate, sentence, high school

New Blog: Prisoner's Soul

2010-01-25T09:30:00.001-08:00

This blogged is based on the book, "Chicken Soup for the Prisoner's Soul" as wel as other books and experiences helping prisoners. It's run by Tom Lagana. From the blog:

Tom Lagana is a professional speaker, trainer, author, and engineer. He is a recipient of the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service in Delaware. He is coauthor of "Chicken Soup for the Prisoner’s Soul," "Chicken Soup for the Volunteer's Soul," "Serving Time, Serving Others," "The Quick and Easy Guide to Project Management," and "Serving Productive Time." He presents workshops and seminars for inmates and volunteers.

Check it out: http://www.prisonersoul.blogspot.com/

And don't forget to follow them on Twitter: @prisonersoul

blog, tom lagana, chicken soup for the prisoner's soul, book, prison, crime, law

RIP Captain Dave

2010-01-22T12:06:00.001-08:00

This is from the music blog that my boyfriend (Drummer John) and I run:

Many of you know that Drummer John played with a band called the Playa Dawgs when we lived in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. But what you don’t know is that they played at a bar on the beach called Bad Boys. This place is magical. You sit at a table with your feet digging into the soft, talcum-white sand, looking out at the Ocean and the lights of Cozumel, palms hovering over you and you listen to the Nasty Bastards band or Playa Dawgs cover some of your favorite tunes. It has hosted many Peanut Pet Shelter fundraisers, and every year they put on their infamous smoked turkey dinner for Thanksgiving. The absolute coolest thing about this place, however, was the fact that the owner, Captain Dave, paid to get less fortunate Mexican men out of prison, trained them to work in his bar, and gave them all good paying jobs with tips. Hence the name, Bad Boys.

Last night Captain Dave passed away. I know that he will be sorely missed and I hope that his memory lives on in this amazing bar in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.

Poor Treatment of Inmates in Kentucky

2010-01-22T09:47:00.001-08:00

Things like this do my head in. What purpose does it serve, treating another human being like an animal, other than to prove you are no better than anyone who's ever been locked up and to continue the cycle of violence and hatred?

My dad is in Marion Adjustment Center and had to be placed in Protective Custody due to being mistreated by guards. He spoke out against the guards after 5 new inmates came into the prison. They were not given a mat to sleep on, sheet, towels, wash cloths, or any change of clothes. They were made to sleep on the floor with just a small blanket. He said that they went 4 days without a shower.

He stated on the phone that guards were not breaking up any fights between inmates. He has since been harrassed and threatened verbally by several guards. Also a guard ask another inmate to hurt my dad, but the inmate (even though he did not know my dad very well) informed my dad that the guards were out to get him and to watch his back.

Marion Adjustment Center - Unfair & Inhumane Treatment of Inmates - Prison Talk

prison, inmate, human rights, crime, law, kentucky, marion adjustment center

Former Governor George Ryan Nominated for Nobel Prize

2010-01-17T08:40:00.001-08:00

If I could nominate anyone for the Nobel Peace Prize, it would definitely be Former Governor George Ryan of Illinois, who declared a moratorium on the death penalty in 2000. He then commuted the sentences of 167 Illinois death row inmates to life in prison.

University of Illinois law professor Francis Boyle said Wednesday he'd forwarded Ryan's name to the Nobel committee based on Ryan's halting of executions in Illinois.

"I said, look, if you want to get rid of the death penalty in America ... then you give the Nobel Peace Prize to Ryan," Boyle said.

Daily Herald | George Ryan again nominated for Nobel Prize

governor george ryan, george ryan, nobel prize, nobel peace prize, nomiation, death penalty, capital punishment, death row, death sentence, moratorium

Round-Up From Facebook: 27 Years Later, Donald Gates is Declared Innocent

2010-01-15T16:08:00.001-08:00

A round-up of prison-related links from my Facebook Friends:

Facebook | Innocence Project: 27 Years Later, Donald Gates is Declared Innocent

Facebook | Innocence Project of Florida: Innocent Chicago Man Tortured into a False Confession, Now Free

Facebook | Students Against the Death Penalty: Abolition Movement at Houston's 32nd MLK Parade

Facebook | Innocence Project: Sunday on Lifetime: "The Wronged Man"

Facebook | Innocence Project of Florida: James Bain to Ring Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and Receive Award on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Facebook | Innocence Project: Sunday on Lifetime: "The Wronged Man"

prison, crime, law, innocence, wrongful conviction, wrongfuly convicted, innocence project, death penalty, capital punshment