Two recent items regarding the possible conviction of innocent people deserve Grits readers' attention:
First, see Rev. Alan Bean's essay, "The Mechanics of a Wrongful Conviction," from the Friends of Justice blog, in which he compares the recent conviction of Alvin Clay in Arkansas, a case he's been closely following, to the Tulia cases and others Alan has worked on over the last decade. An interesting if opinionated read from a man on the front lines.
Meanwhile, in a death row case that may turn out to define "the mechanics of a wrongful conviction," check out this video from KXAN-TV (via the Texas Death Penalty Blog) regarding the recent conviction of a Georgetown police officer in Williamson County and its relation to the possible actual-innocence claims of current death-row resident Rodney Reed. If Reed's innocence claims pan out, it will uncover a web of police corruption that's pretty deep, not to mention an extensive official coverup aimed at pinning the case on an innocent man.
Not to nitpick, but it's The Mechanics of Wrongful Conviction. "Anatomy" implies something entirely different.
ReplyDeleteGood point; since the phrase was a direct quote from Alan's headline I corrected it in the text and title, thank you. Just sloppy transcription on my part, then a replication of the original error. Fixed now.
ReplyDeleteUnderstandable, you're a prolific, enjoyable blogger.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I'm here <3