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Son Confronts Brewer over Clemency Decision
PHOENIX – Governor Jan Brewer abruptly ended her own press conference Wednesday morning after facing questions about her controversial decision to deny clemency to a long-time inmate whose guilt has been doubted. Brewer gave one answer before she turned to her staff, who then cut off any further questions and
Texan Imprisoned for Child Sex Assault Exonerated
DALLAS – A judge on Monday overturned the 1993 conviction of a deaf man who was sent to prison for raping a 5-year-old girl despite an absence of physical evidence linking him to the attack. Stephen Brodie, 39, dropped his head in relief after an interpreter signed to him that
Dead Wrong
HATTIESBURG — Larry Ruffin spent 23 years behind bars for a rape and murder that DNA shows he did not commit, but he will never walk free from prison. He died in 2002. “Every time I think about it, tears come to my eyes,” said Ernestine Arrington, Ruffin’s sister. The
Arizona Justice Project Lawyer Honored
Arizona Justice Project lawyer honored Phoenix lawyer Larry Hammond, an advocate for death-penalty fairness, will receive the Morris Dees Justice Award in New York City on Nov. 18. Among other things, Hammond has worked to correct systemic problems in death-penalty cases and for representing death-penalty defendants. Hammond started the Arizona
News About the Bill Macumber Case
Arizona Governor Refuses To Explain Clemency Ruling Despite a recommendation for release by the Arizona Executive Board of Clemency, Gov. Jan Brewer refuses to explain why she will not release convicted killer Bill Macumber from prison.In its report to the governor last August, the state’s clemency board said there is
New York Times: Governor Rebuffs Clemency Board in Murder Case
Ronald Kempfert was a young boy in 1975 when his father was sent to prison for murder, and they had no contact for 28 years. Then, in 2003, Mr. Kempfert heard from a lawyer who had been looking into the case. “Your father is innocent,” said the lawyer, Larry A.
Articles

Supreme Court: Life sentences on juveniles open for later reviews
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that those sentenced as teenagers to mandatory life imprisonment for murder must have a chance to argue that they should be released from prison. The ruling expanded the court’s 2012 decision that struck down mandatory life terms without parole for juveniles and said it must

The $40/Hr Defense Lawyer: ‘Making A Murderer’ Attorney Dean Strang Discusses The Economics of Innocence
“One of the central themes of the Netflix NFLX -3.13% documentary Making a Murderer was the imbalance of resources between the prosecution in the Steven Avery case, and Avery’s own defense team. But with a few brief exceptions, there wasn’t much attempt to actually examine it in terms of dollars

Rethinking Reform: Prisons in America
“Rethinking Reform” calls attention to the complex prison system in the United States, and examines the repercussions that mass incarceration has on individuals and families. Video: http://www.viddler.com/v/c882514e?secret=50540044 Pics from the film:

Sharing: ‘Making a Murderer’ shows that our justice system needs a healthy dose of humility
By Keith A. Findley January 15 Keith A. Findley is co-director of the Wisconsin Innocence Project at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Guilty or innocent? Viewers addicted to the Netflix documentary series “Making a Murderer” are fiercely debating the case of Steven Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey. In

False Confessions Like Brendan Dassey’s Are Common Among Exonerated Juveniles
Minors are psychologically susceptible to being coerced into false confessions and yet frequently interrogated without parents or lawyers around. New details about the case against Steven Avery keep emerging as U.S. audiences flock to Making a Murderer, the Netflix series documenting Avery’s path from wrongfully convicted inmate to free man suing

2015: A Year to Remember in False Confessions
By Steve Drizin, Clinical law professor, Northwestern University School of Law 2015 was another momentous year in the world of false confessions. Here are my greatest hits: January 2015 begins tragically as two exonerated false confessors from New York die — Sharrif Wilson, aged 38, and Daniel Gristwood, aged 48.