Innocence Project Synthesis
Demonstrate a meaningful synthesis of the material posted (typically a research article) and the corresponding chapter assigned for that week. For all posts, students are expected to comment on their theoretical and applied relevance.
Innocence Project ( material posted)
Innocence Project Synthesis
The justice system in the United States has been flawed for a very long period. The judicial system has, on multiple occasions, fallen short of providing a fair and just trial to most defendants. The law has not been followed appropriately with cases of bias, blackmail and cover-ups rampant. A worrying trend especially for the minor communities. People of color, the minority, are sometimes faced with a crooked system that has biased prosecutors who misuse their power and influence.
The innocence project, founded in 1992, has stepped in to help those wrongfully sentenced through post-conviction DNA testing and reforms. The organization specializes in combating cases of inadequate defense, misused forensic science, false confessions, eyewitness misidentification, and jailhouse informants. These areas of focus qualify for both theoretical and applied relevance standpoints.
Post-conviction DNA testing has been a bone of contention. It has an exemplary track record when used, and laws allowing access to DNA after conviction have been passed in most U.S. states (Innocence, 2020). However, defendants have had to contend with the tedious legal process required to access the DNA samples used which should not be the case.
Tackling the issue of jailhouse informants is also imperative. In most cases, prisoners are usually bribed or blackmailed by prosecutors into providing false information on the defendant. False confessions and eyewitness misidentifications fall in line with jailhouse informants. All three are tactics used by prosecutors to fabricate evidence against innocent defendants.
Aside from skewed prosecution, overworked defense lawyers pose a problem to the issue of wrongful convictions. They fail to accord the defendant the required amount of representation required to prove the accused is innocent successfully. This includes failing to consult forensic science experts to failing to investigate alibis and eyewitnesses. It is therefore relevant to provide defendants with more than capable lawyers who are invested in the case.
References
Innocence Project – Help us put an end to wrongful convictions! (2020). Retrieved 9 January 2020, from https://www.innocenceproject.org/
