|
|
| Project targets innocent inmates |
| By Hartford Courant |
| Published: 12/06/2004 |
|
Connecticut prison inmates who say they are innocent, and whose cases contain evidence that could prove it, will have a place to turn for help early next year when the state public defender's office launches The Connecticut Innocence Project. The project is the first of its kind in the state and one of about 30 similar programs across the country that focus on exonerating prisoners, often through DNA testing. The idea was popularized by lawyers Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, who, in 1992, created a nonprofit legal clinic at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York, which handles cases in which DNA testing can conclusively prove innocence. The undertaking in Connecticut, led by public defenders Brian Carlow and Karen Goodrow, is independent and not directly affiliated with Scheck and Neufeld's legal clinic. The Connecticut Innocence Project capitalizes on a heightened national awareness of innocence cases. It also complements a Connecticut advisory commission that was set up recently to review wrongful conviction cases and suggest statewide reforms to diminish the likelihood of wrongful convictions. Some guidelines have been established for a case to be considered by Connecticut's project. For instance, inmates must be indigent and their cases should have new evidence or evidence on which new testing can be performed. Because of the length of time it takes to pursue such cases, the project will generally consider inmates serving at least a 10-year sentence who have at least five years remaining on their term. |
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think