In today’s world, there are 69 organizations that have come together to create a group that is known as the Innocence Network. These agencies consist of 56 within the United States, and 13 stationed from around the world that all work together and apart to help and exonerate those that have been wrongfully convicted. The 13 international agencies include Argentine, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Italy, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.(Innocence Network) Some of the agencies actually work together internationally such as Italy and the United States with the Amanda Knox trial, and Ireland and Greece with the later explained Mark Marku case. Most international agencies take cases that do and do not include DNA …show more content…
Although DNA has been used more and more to prove those who were wrongfully convicted innocent, there have been many times when the DNA evidence had also caused the conviction such as the case of Frank Button from Canada later described. There are many excuses and causes as to why these wrongful convictions has occurred such as forced confessions, but a lot of causes have to do actually do with forensics. Especially in America, as stated by the Innocence project, 46 percent of the overall 347 DNA exonerations that they have worked on were originally convicted due to the misapplication of forensic science. There have been many cases of wrongful convictions that have been due to improper forensic science, not only in America, but all around the globe. This essay discusses both the scientists around the globe that have been caught mishandling evidence, as well as individuals around the globe that have either been wrongfully convicted due to improper forensic science, or the use of forensic science had helped to exonerate …show more content…
He served 16 years in prison, one of the reasons for his wrongful conviction was because of a woman by the name of Janice Roadcap who was a chemist for the Pennsylvania State Police crime lab had provided a fake testimony during trial. Roadcap had stated that the vaginal swab that was taken from the victim matched the blood type of Laughman because the victim’s secretion masked the true semens’ blood type. Apparently, the victim was a type A secretor and Barry Laughman is a type B secretor, therefore Roadcap stated that the victims type A had masked Laughmans type B. The other issue with these swabs was that when the defence had looked for the samples in 2000 to retest them, they were missing from the evidence file. They were then found overseas in the hands of an ex-professor of the Pennsylvania State University. Another issue with the conviction of Barry Laughman was the fact that his confession was false and coerced by police. Barry was said to have a very low IQ which in turn allows him to be intimidated and manipulated easily, which had happened in his case. Finally, after serving his 16 years, he was released due to new testing done on the DNA of the vaginal
Forensic science is defined as the practice of utilizing scientific methodologies to clarify judicial inquiries. The field of forensic science contains a broad range of disciplines and has become a vital aspect of criminal investigations. Some forensic disciplines are laboratory-based; while others are based on an analyst’s interpretation of observable patterns (Kourtsounis, 2009). According to the Innocence project’s website; in greater than fifty percent of wrongful convictions, the use of invalidated or improper forensic techniques played a role in cases; which were later
Melley, Brian. "Man is cleared after 16 years; DNA ties crimes to fugitves." Miami Herald 24 November 2015: 12A.
With the number of DNA exonerations growing in the recent years, wrongful convictions reveal disturbing trends and fissures in the justice system. It shows how broken the system is, and why it needs urgent fixing. According to Huff (1996), over ten thousand people are convicted wrongfully for serious crimes each year. This study established that factors leading to wrongful convictions are false eyewitnesses, a prejudiced jury, incompetent prosecutors, and suspects’ ignorance. Where DNA evidence clears a suspect, array of reasons emerge; misconduct, mistakes, to race and class factors. It is important to make DNA data available to attorneys in order to enable them mount a strong
The first DNA-based conviction in the United States occurred shortly after in 1987 when the Circuit Court in Orange County, Florida, convicted Tommy Lee Andrews of rape after DNA tests matched his DNA from a blood sample with that of semen traces found in a rape victim (Calandro, 2005). It was two years later that DNA was again ruled admissible in a Virginia state ruling. In the years that followed the use of DNA in trial proceeding was not disputed. It was not until the technique of obtaining the evidence was more largely used did the practice become questionable.
DNA’s certainty is dramatized in today’s society, which gives lay people the impression that DNA is infallible; however, in the case of Wayne Butler and others, the fallibility of DNA is exposed. Wayne Butler was accused of sadistically murdering Natasha Douty who was found beaten to death on Brampton Island in 1983. Wayne Butler was vacationing on Brampton Island during the timeframe of the murder; however, claimed to be jogging during this time. After submitting a blood test, Butler was eliminated as a suspect. However, Butler was arrested in 2001 for this murder because semen, which was found on the towel at the crime scene, was found to be a match. The John Tonge Centre performed a DNA test on the evidence on the towel. Butler was found innocent after it was identified that the John Tonge Centre mislabeled the test tubes containing the crime scene evidence. (“DNA Evidence”) This case proves that DNA testing may not be as reliable as we think.
The Innocence Project was established in the wake of a landmark study by the United States Department of Justice and the United States Senate with help from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (Schneider, 2013). This study found that there were numerous reasons why people are wrongfully convicted including, but not limited to eye witness identification, perjured testimony, improper forensic science techniques, and government misconduct (Roberts & Weathered, 2009) The original Innocence Project was founded twenty two (22) years ago as a part of the Cardoza School of Law of Yeshiva University in New York City, New York (Davis, 2012). The Innocence Projects primary goal is to exonerate those whom have been convicted of a crime when there is DNA evidence available to be tested or re-tested (Mitchell, 2011). DNA testing has been possible in five (5) percent to ten (10) percent of cases since 1992 (Risinger, 2007). On the other side, other members of the Innocence Project help to exonerate those have been convicted of a crime where there is no DNA evidence to test. A goal of the Innocence Project is to conduct research on the reasons for wrongful convictions, how to fix the criminal justice system, as well as advocate for those who have been wrongfully convicted (Steiker & Steiker, 2005). The members of this organization strive to teach the world about the dangers of wrongful convictions. To date, this non-profit legal organization, has freed three hundred eighteen (318)
Lawton, I would like to first say that I enjoyed reading your forum. The incident that occurred to Ayers was unfortunate. However, there are many cases that occur just like his. The Innocence Project was established to help those individuals who were falsely accused. According to Mangan (2004), “The program is an offshoot of the Innocence Project, a national nonprofit legal clinic that handles many cases in which DNA testing of evidence can conclusively prove the innocence of some prisoners” (p. 26). However, it takes more programs to help those such as Ayers who have been falsely accused. In his case, he was proved incident. However, many individuals do not have that happen and are locked up for years, if not executed. The investigators and
If a wrongful conviction occurs nowadays, our greatest chance to prove that it is a wrongful convictions is with DNA
Maryland. Raynor was convicted of rape after the police swabbed his skin cells from an armrest of a chair. Originally he agreed to take part in the police investigation but he refused to supply his genetic information. So, when the police considered his DNA evidence, he argued that his Fourth Amendment rights were violated. However, the court, with a 4-3 decision, decided that this collection was constitutional and the police can collect any DNA evidence as they come across them. Unfortunately, this case was denied of review by the U.S. Supreme Court. Meanwhile, DNA collection laws exist in over half of the states and vary greatly on when DNA samples can be taken and when the samples can be
Every time an innocent person is exonerated based on DNA testing, law enforcement agencies look at what caused the wrongful convictions. There are many issues that contribute to putting guiltless lives behind bars including: eyewitness misidentification, false confessions, imperfect forensic science, and more (Gould and Leo 18). When a witness is taken into a police station to identify a suspect, it is easy for their memories to be blurred and their judgment influenced. This can lead the witness to identify a suspect who is actually innocent. Flawed forensic science practice also contributes to wrongful imprisonments. In the past, analysts have been inaccurate due to carelessness, testified in court presenting evidence that was not based
“In 1984, a British geneticist named Alec Jeffreys stumbled upon one of our most important forensic tools: DNA fingerprinting. Since his “eureka moment,” the scientific technique has been used successfully to identify perpetrators of a crime, clarify paternity and exonerate people wrongly convicted” (Jones). DNA evidence, specifically simple-mixture, is the most accurate type of forensic evidence we currently have at our disposal, but even it is not infallible. Other types of forensic evidence are much less accurate, but unfortunately their use is still permitted in U.S courtrooms. Jurors may be misled by experts within the courtroom as well. These misconceptions about the accuracy of forensic science and the field in general lead to many problems in the courtroom.
The questions about the existence of life and the creation of the world are always mind-boggling and fascinating, however, the real answer to these questions may never surface. All there is to rely on are the myths, stories and legends passed on from generation to generation by ancestors and the clues they have left. This essay will try to uncover the ancient Mesopotamian and Hebrew views on existence and creation by looking at sources like the Genesis and other ancient Mesopotamian texts and poems. Mesopotamians and Hebrews had contrasting views on how they explained the events in their lives, and through analysis of ancient sources, those differences will be outlined. In such populated and booming areas, human conflict was
During the years before the implementation of the One Child Policy, the leaders of China were involved in wars, a great leap forward, and an industrial revolution. In the last twenty five years China’s One Child Policy has affected the country in every way one can imagine. This paper will attempt to explore the major ways the policy has affected the people of China socially, and how the economy has reacted with the change. A brief history on the traditional views of Chinese families, before the policy’s implementation, is outlined ahead of the policy’s background. This is to illustrate
False confessions have been a leading factor in destroying the lives of many innocent people. Since the advances of technology, victims of false confessions have been exonerated from the charges previously placed on them while others are still fighting for innocence or died a criminal. One technological advance that has exonerated many individuals is DNA testing. According to Randy James, DNA testing was discovered in 1985 and was first used in court to convict Tommie Lee Andrews (Time, 2009). Today many Americans are convicted because of false confessions that have not yet been overturned with new evidence (Kassin, 2014). Although DNA testing has led to freedom for many innocent Americans, there are still many innocent people who are locked
As I reflect on the years that I have worked in Higher Education, my passion and dedication in the field has been driven towards experiencing the growth and development of students. My tenure in the field began at a Historically Black College and University in which also happened to be my Alma Mata. Now 10 years later, I would never imagine that I would still be working in a position to help cultivate and develop the minds of our future leaders. My career thus far has allowed me to work at a Community College, where I have taken a keen interested in the leadership involved in Higher Education. This interest has allowed me to continue my education as a part of the Morgan State University, Community College Leadership Doctoral program.