Governor Brown Signs Post-Conviction Discovery Bill
New Law Provides Innocent People Access to Materials Available at Trial (From Press Release)— Governor Jerry Brown…
Bill Designed to Keep Innocent People out of Jail and Prevent Wrongful Convictions
Since 1989, experts estimate that nearly 200 people have been wrongly convicted in California. According to the…
Prosecutorial Misconduct and the Case of Lawrence Miranda
Back in October 2010, the Northern California Innocence Project came out with a report, “Preventable Error: A…
Commentary: How Prosecutors Can Serve on the Front Lines in the War against Wrongful Convictions
Yesterday I read an op-ed in the Cleveland newspaper where the head of the Innocence Project of…
For Exonerees, Getting Released Is Only the First Struggle
Exonerated Inmates Receive No Services and Often Face Health, Mental, Educational, and Financial Hardships Upon Release It…
Monday Morning Thoughts: The Promise and Failure of Conviction Integrity Units
Recently I sat down with the mother of a man convicted in Yolo County of a crime…
Justice Watch: Another Teen Killed by Police; California Again Pushes against the Death Penalty
In what bears some resemblance to the Tamir Rice shooting, this time in Columbus, Ohio, an Ohio…
Sunday Commentary: How We Can Prevent Wrongful Convictions
This was the speech I gave last night at the Vanguard Court Watch Event: Preventing Wrongful Convictions….
Ending Wrongful Convictions
by Lorenzo Johnson The record number of exonerations of innocent prisoners last year shows that something is…
New Witnesses Might Be Key to Glossip’s Death Penalty Case
A week and a half ago we wrote of an unusual coalition arguing in support of Richard…
Unusual Coalition Warns Oklahoma Governor About Impending Execution of An Innocent Person
By most accounts, it is a highly unusual coalition of people who wrote a letter this week…
Commentary: The Tragic Story of John O’Brien
The saga of former high school teacher John O’Brien ended last week with the announcement by his…
State Auditor Blasts the California Bar for Failing to Discipline Attorneys Who Fail to Meet Professional Responsibilities
Earlier this year, the LA Times ran a story where federal judges accused the California State Bar…
Monday Morning Thoughts II: Global Cooling, Prosecutorial Misconduct and More
Global Cooling One of the more interesting arguments I hear against Global Warming is that ‒ 40…
Eye on the Courts: Problems of Race, Mental Illness Underlie Wrongful Convictions, Death Penalty
The protests and police shootings in Ferguson and Staten Island have focused on the disproportionate black and…
California Needs to Pass Law on Exculpatory Evidence
By Barry Scheck and Laurie Levenson More than half a century ago, the Supreme Court established a…
Report: Conviction Integrity Units Form Vital Link For Reform Efforts
In October of this year, Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig announced that his office has created…
Eye on the Courts: Will Yolo Convictions Integrity Unit Go Far Enough?
In 2011, Maurice Caldwell came to speak at the Vanguard’s first Dinner and Awards Ceremony. He had…
Yolo DA Creates Conviction Integrity Unit
Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig announced on Tuesday that his office has created “a Conviction Integrity…
Eye on the Courts: The Pernicious Specter of Prosecutorial Misconduct
A ruling this last week in Orange County shows just how high the bar has been set…
