Illusion
An idea or belief that is not true:
He had no illusions about his talents as a singer.
I’m under no illusions (= I understand the truth) about the man I married.
My boss is labouring under the illusion that (= wrongly believes that) the project will be completed on time.
Something that is not really what it seems to be:
A large mirror in a room can create the illusion of space.
The impression of calm in the office is just an illusion.
Cambridge Dictionary
IMPORTANT CONTENT
2 William Mullins-Johnson wrongful conviction : A Death in the Family (2009) – The Fifth Estate
Gepubliceerd op 4 okt. 2017
16 nov. 2009
4 “Wrongful Convictions in the U.S.: Lessons from the National Registry of Exonerations”
5 Wrongly Convicted Man Exonerated, Released in Time to Reunite With Dying Dad – Crime Watch Daily
IMPORTANT VIDEO
Gepubliceerd op 2 okt. 2017
Six individuals affected by wrongful convictions in the U.S. criminal justice system share their stories and the challenges they have faced since the wrongful conviction came to light.
NIJ is dedicated to using science to learn about the causes and consequences of wrongful convictions. Only with this understanding will we minimize these miscarriages of justice, support victims and restore their confidence in the justice system.
In February 2016, NIJ and its partners hosted listening sessions for victims or survivors of crimes that resulted in wrongful convictions and individuals who have been exonerated to share their experiences. These powerful listening sessions revealed that there currently is no systematic response to the needs of victims and exonerees of wrongful convictions and the services offered are often inadequate.
Read the summary notes from this meeting: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/2…
(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)
10 Prosecutorial Ethics and the Right to a Fair Trial: The Role of the Brady Rule (Session 1)
Gepubliceerd op 26 jun. 2012
IMPORTANT CONTENT
BOOKMARK
Gepubliceerd op 30 mei 2013
According to the Innocence Project the average DNA exoneree served 13 years in prison before he or she was freed. Seventeen had been sentenced to death. 67 percent of the exonerated were convicted after 2000, the year that marked the onset of modern DNA testing. Each new exoneration adds more urgency to the question that has hovered over these cases since the first convict was cleared by DNA in 1989: How many more innocent people are waiting to be freed?
Gepubliceerd op 10 jan. 2017
BOOKMARK
19 The System – Flawed Forensics
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20 The System – Eyewitness Identification
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21 The System – Mandatory Sentencing
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How did a man in Florida end up with a 20-year prison sentence after shooting a warning shot in his house?
22 True Conviction: The Dallas detective agency run by wrongly convicted men | Guardian Docs
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IMPORTANT CONTENT
27 Jeffrey Deskovic, Wrongfully Convicted of rape and murder PART 1
Wrongfully convicted, Jeffrey Deskovic spend an astonishing 16 years in prison for crimes he DID NOT COMMIT!! Mr. Deskovic has now committed his life to freeing people in prison for crimes they didn’t commit, as well as bringing attention to this horrific situation and advocating for reform of the criminal justice system.
Mr. Deskovic has started a foundation, the Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation. The Foundation seeks to exonerate the actually innocent, i.e., prisoners who have no connection to the crime for which they were convicted. Their team of investigators and lawyers comprehensively review court files, transcripts of prior testimony, and evidence introduced at trial to uncover uninvestigated leads, possible alternative suspects, exculpatory evidence, and similar crimes in the area.
In addition, they examine whether flaws in the trial process caused a wrongful conviction, such as the use of junk science or expert witnesses without proper credentials, prosecutorial misconduct such as withholding exculpatory evidence, laboratory errors, false confessions, misleading identification procedures, and the like.
Finally, they re-interview witnesses who previously testified and witnesses not yet heard from, and where appropriate, identify evidence for forensic testing or re-testing. If this story touched you, and you would like to make a donation, here’s how. go to the facebook page or web site, www.deskovic.org
28 Jeffrey Deskovic, wrongfully convicted of rape and murder PART 2
Wrongfully convicted, Jeffrey Deskovic spend an astonishing 16 years in prison for crimes he DID NOT COMMIT!! Mr. Deskovic has now committed his life to freeing people in prison for crimes they didn’t commit, as well as bringing attention to this horrific situation and advocating for reform of the criminal justice system.
Mr. Deskovic has started a foundation, the Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation. The Foundation seeks to exonerate the actually innocent, i.e., prisoners who have no connection to the crime for which they were convicted. Their team of investigators and lawyers comprehensively review court files, transcripts of prior testimony, and evidence introduced at trial to uncover uninvestigated leads, possible alternative suspects, exculpatory evidence, and similar crimes in the area.
In addition, they examine whether flaws in the trial process caused a wrongful conviction, such as the use of junk science or expert witnesses without proper credentials, prosecutorial misconduct such as withholding exculpatory evidence, laboratory errors, false confessions, misleading identification procedures, and the like.
Finally, they re-interview witnesses who previously testified and witnesses not yet heard from, and where appropriate, identify evidence for forensic testing or re-testing. If this story touched you, and you would like to make a donation, here’s how. go to the facebook page or web site, www.deskovic.org
Nopens Liam Allan
- Miscarriages of Justice ‘Clearly not disclosable’
- Interviews It’s a question of who is more believable in court. That’s scary’
- Miscarriages of Justice Liam Allen accuses police of cherry-picking evidence
- Miscarriages of Justice Police failing to disclose in more than four out of 10 cases, says watchdog
The Police and the Crown Prosecution Service have been accused of failing to disclose important information in several recent high profile sexual assault cases.
But Allan Urry asks if the current disquiet about disclosure should also extend to the Magistrates’ Courts where almost all criminal cases start off. Some defence lawyers say evidence that could be helpful to their clients’ cases is being with-held and are they’re concerned that justice isn’t always being served.
Gepubliceerd op 11 jun. 2014
30 Who would confess to a murder they didn’t commit? Maybe you. | Nancy Franklin | TEDxSBU
31 Brendan Dassey: A True Story of A False Confession
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32 Last Chance (The Damon Thibodeaux case)
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Gepubliceerd op 21 jul. 2015
The 1996 murder of 14 year-old Crystal Champagne was closed when her cousin Damon Thibodeaux confessed to the crime. He was sentenced to death in 1997. The only trouble was his confession was false. Contrary to belief, this is something that happens all the time. Many people don’t believe someone would confess to a crime they didn’t commit. But it doesn’t take much to get an innocent person to confess. Usually they just want the questioning to end and they figure they can straighten it out later. That rarely is the case.
I DO NOT OWN THIS.
NON-PROFIT AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
Gepubliceerd op 18 apr. 2017
36 Jerome F. Buting, “Illusion of Justice: Inside ‘Making A Murderer’ and America’s Broken System”
Gepubliceerd op 10 mrt. 2017
37 Man who served decade in jail released from prison
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BOOKMARK
38 Life After Being Wrongfully Imprisoned
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Gepubliceerd op 25 mei 2016
39 – 30-Year Death Row Inmate Celebrates First Days of Freedom
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Gepubliceerd op 24 apr. 2015
40 How Golf Digest Helped Free An Innocent Imprisoned Artist | TODAY
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41 State Vs Rodney Reed documentary – Innocent man on Texas death-row
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42 Innocent man released from jail after serving nine years
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BOOKMARK
Gepubliceerd op 17 okt. 2014
47 Wrongly convicted man free after 39 years in jail
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MarKsMaN’s News
Gepubliceerd op 21 nov. 2014
Ricky Jackson – who at one stage faced the death penalty – calmly stands before looking skywards and hugging his legal team
This is the humbling moment a man who spent 39 years in jail after being wrongly convicted of murder is set free.
Ricky Jackson, 57, appears to mouth ’thank you’ after being cleared, looks to the heavens, and then gratefully embraces his legal team before being led from the court room.
He was convicted along with two others for the 1975 murder of Harold Franks, a Cleveland-area money order salesman, after 12-year-old Eddie Vernon testified he saw the attack,
according to court documents.
However, when Vernon – now 53 – recanted his evidence and told authorities he had never actually witnessed the crime.
With no other evidence linking Jackson to the killing, in March lawyers for the Ohio Innocence Project filed a motion for a new trial after.
Vernon had told a pastor he was on a school bus at the time of the murder, which other witnesses confirmed.
Jackson is the longest-held U.S. prisoner to be exonerated, an lawyer for the Ohio Innocence Project said.
The two other men convicted alongside him, brothers Ronnie and Wiley Bridgeman, have also filed for a new trial.
Ronnie Bridgeman was released in 2003, but his brother remains in prison.
Jackson was originally sentenced to death but that sentence was vacated due to a paperwork error.
The Bridgemans remained on death row until Ohio declared the death penalty unconstitutional in
1978.
Man free after 39 years
48 Man wrongly jailed for murder as teen in 1991 is exonerated
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Gepubliceerd op 9 apr. 2018
BOOKMARK
53 John Bunn Talks About His Exoneration After A 17-Year Sentence For A Crime He Didn’t Commit
The Daily Spectator
Gepubliceerd op 20 nov. 2013
WATCH THE LATEST INTERVIEW HERE
http://youtu.be/yIlSqk_pfbA
Bronx resident Kalief Browder was walking home from a party when he was abruptly arrested by New York City police officers on May 14, 2010. A complete stranger said Browder had robbed him a few weeks earlier and, consequently, changed the 16-year-old’s life forever.
Browder was imprisoned for three years before the charges were dropped in June 2013, according to a WABC-TV Eyewitness News investigation.
At the time of the teen’s arrest, Browder’s family was unable to pay the $10,000 bail. He was placed in the infamously violent Rikers Island correctional facility, where he remained until earlier this year.
Now that he’s free, the young man is speaking up about his experience.
“I spent three New Year’s in there, three birthdays…,” Browder, now 20, said in a recent interview with WABC, adding that he was released with “no apology.”
In October, Browder filed a civil lawsuit against the Bronx District Attorney, City of New York, the New York City Police Department, the New York City Department of Corrections and a number of state-employed individuals.
The official complaint states Browder was “physically assaulted and beaten” by officers and other inmates during his time at Rikers Island. The document also maintains the accused was “placed in solitary confinement for more than 400 days” and was “deprived meals.” In addition, officers allegedly prevented him from pursuing his education. Browder attempted suicide at least six times.
In an interview with The Huffington Post, Browder’s current lawyer Paul Prestia summarized his client’s experience as “inexplicable” and “unheard of.” Based off one man’s identification, Browder was charged with robbery in the second degree, he notes. It took three years to dismiss these charges, even though it was, in Prestia’s words, a “straightforward case to try.”
“The city needs to be held accountable for what happened,” Prestia said. “[Browder] had a right to a fair and speedy trail, and he wasn’t afforded any of that. He maintained his innocence the entire time, and essentially got a three year sentence for that.”
Still, when Browder was offered a plea deal in January, he refused to take it, because he did not want to plead guilty to the crime, WABC-TV notes. (Had Browder been tried in a timely fashion and pled guilty to the crime, Prestia told HuffPost, he might have spent less time in prison.)
Prestia adds that his client has suffered lingering mental health problems, and though he’s currently going to school for his GED, he’s “clearly way behind from where he would have been.”
“We need someone to be held accountable,” Prestia said. “This can’t just go unnoticed. To the extent that [Browder] can be financially compensated — although it’s not going to get those years back for him — it may give him a chance to succeed.”
The District Attorney’s office said it was unable to comment, as Browder’s allegations are currently the subject of ongoing litigation.
Incidentally, Browder’s claims about his experience at Rikers Island are consistent with findings from a recent report commissioned by the New York City Board of Correction. The report, obtained by The Associated Press, notes that the use of force by prison staff has more than tripled from 2004 to 2013, from seven incidents of force per 100 inmates, to almost 25. Additionally, the number of self-mutilation and suicide attempts by Rikers inmates have increased by 75 percent from 2007 to 2012. According to the report, 40 percent of the city jail’s 12,200 inmates are mentally ill, and many of these inmates are placed in solitary confinement “holes” as punishment.
Credit – Amanda Scherker
55 Traumatized by 3 Years at Rikers Prison Without Charge as a Teen, Kalief Browder Commits Suicide
58 Two Years After Kalief Browder’s Suicide, His Brother Recounts Horrifying Ordeal at Rikers
Democracy Now!
Gepubliceerd op 6 jun. 2017
https://democracynow.org – Today marks two years since Kalief Browder took his own life in 2015 at the age of 22, after being held in jail for nearly three years without trial for a crime he did not commit.
In November, we spoke with Akeem Browder, Kalief’s older brother. He is the founder of the Campaign to Shut Down Rikers. Today we share a second part of his interview that has never been broadcast before. We spoke with him shortly after his family held a memorial service for Venida Browder, who died “of a broken heart” 16 months after her son hanged himself in his Bronx home.
Kalief was just 16 years old in 2010 when he was sent to Rikers Island jail in New York City on suspicion of stealing a backpack. He always maintained his innocence and demanded a trial. Instead, he spent the next nearly three years at Rikers—nearly 800 days of that time in solitary confinement. Near the end of his time in jail, the judge offered to sentence him to time served if he entered a guilty plea, and told him he could face 15 years in prison if he went to trial and was convicted. Kalief still refused to accept the plea deal. He was only released when the case was dismissed. While in Rikers, Kalief was repeatedly assaulted by guards and other prisoners. His brother explains in this interview that he was repeatedly denied food by guards while he was in solitary confinement.
Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs weekdays on nearly 1,400 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream 8-9AM ET: https://democracynow.org
61 Wrongfully accused prisoner released – 14 years later
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62 Why I Took a Plea Deal Even Though DNA Proved my Innocence
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The Alford plea offers freedom at a costly price. While it allows one the right to maintain innocence, a criminal conviction remains visible on their record and therefore, they are not eligible for compensation from the government. Leroy Harris took an Alford plea after serving 29 years in prison for a crime he has always maintained he didn’t commit.
Gordon Zedd
Gepubliceerd op 2 jan. 2014
A Hampton Roads man was freed from prison yesterday, two decades after he was convicted of raping a nursing student and just one day after DNA tests conclusively proved another man committed the crime.
“I’d like to thank God for this day,” Julius Earl Ruffin, 49, of Suffolk told WAVY-TV as he walked out of the Southampton Correctional Center where his sister, brother and son were waiting. “The first thing I want to do is visit my mother’s grave. It’s been 21 long years.”
Ruffin was released on parole because the Norfolk commonwealth’s attorney and Virginia Parole Board decided it was faster than waiting for a governor’s pardon or a court to exonerate him.
The DNA tests conducted by the state Division of Forensic Science that cleared Ruffin also got a “cold hit,” matching the evidence from the Norfolk rape with DNA on file in a state data bank of people convicted of serious felonies since 1990.
“We’ve already taken steps to follow up on that,” said John R. Doyle III, the Norfolk commonwealth’s attorney, who declined to identify the new suspect.
Gordon A. Zedd, Ruffin’s attorney, said he started shaking when a seven-page fax outlining the results arrived at his office after the close of business Tuesday. He said he contacted Doyle, who in turn called the Parole Board to secure Ruffin’s release the next day.
Gepubliceerd op 17 dec. 2009
After spending over three decades in prison, 54-year-old James Bain was set free after DNA evidence proved that he could not have raped a boy in 1974. Jim Axelrod reports
Gepubliceerd op 14 dec. 2011
A Brooklyn man who spent 20 years in prison for a murder a dozen witnesses say he didn’t commit was finally released after The Daily News recounted his questionable conviction.
69 Man freed after 28 years behind bars
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David McCallum spent 28 years in a New York prison for a murder he didn’t commit. McCallum called his release a “bittersweet moment. Jericka Duncan reports.
70 A Wrongful Murder Conviction and 18-Year Fight for Justice: The Fairbanks Four
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Gepubliceerd op 1 feb. 2018
In 1997, a teenager was found beaten to death in downtown Fairbanks, Alaska. Police quickly pinned the murder on four native teens from a local high school and convicted them on false confessions, an unreliable witness, and forged evidence. Still, the “Fairbanks Four” continued to maintain their innocence.
Over time, the fight for their freedom grew into a statewide movement against Alaska’s judicial system. After 18 years, the Fairbanks Four were set free—but the state still refuses to acknowledge any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, the wrongfully convicted men, who were thrown in prison as teenagers, are struggling to get used to life outside after nearly two decades behind bars.
VICE trekked to Alaska to meet two members of the Fairbanks Four, the community members who rallied behind them, and the investigators who helped secure their freedom—exploring the enduring impact of their wrongful incarceration and the native community’s effort to move forward.
14 sep. 2018