Marching for Awareness for Wrongful Convictions
Marching in Michigan
An Innocence Movement Platform –
the Three ‘R’s: Raise, Resolve, and Remedy
Introduction
Modern science and technology have shaken the strong faith many once
placed in the accuracy of judgments made by our criminal justice
system. Thanks to DNA analysis of biological evidence, hundreds of
convicts have been exonerated—many after spending years on death
row. Those who value justice, who demand that the criminal justice
system apply the lessons to be learned from the many cases of
wrongful conviction, support policy initiatives that:
1.
Raise
the accuracy rate in judgments of guilt and innocence.
2. Resolve
credible post-conviction claims of innocence.
3.
Remedy
the tragic impact of wrongful convictions.
Raise the accuracy rate
The Innocence Project has analyzed exonerations to reveal a broad
collection of factors that contribute to the likelihood of wrongful
convictions. Among them are:
·
Eyewitness Misidentification
·
Invalidated or Improper Forensic Science
·
False Confessions / Admissions
·
Government Misconduct
·
Informants or Snitches
·
Bad Lawyering
The Innocence Movement
supports policy reform that addresses these areas as well as other
measures that can improve accuracy in conviction judgments. Reforms
are needed in the areas of
·
Juror education and training
·
Plea bargaining
·
Pre-trial incarceration
·
Reducing prosecutorial misconduct —including misconduct deemed to be
“harmless” error
·
Restrictions on snitch testimony
·
Increased accountability for ethical breaches
·
Heightened expectations for defense attorneys
·
Reduced case loads for public defenders
Resolve post-conviction claims of innocence
Most are surprised to learn that criminal appeals are not about
innocence, but about trial procedure. The Innocence Movement
supports reforms that provide venues and policies for resolving
claims of innocence. Such venues and policies may include:
Conviction Integrity Units such as the one begun by Dallas DA Craig
Watkins
·
Innocence Commissions such as those established in several states
·
Appeal process that includes consideration of credible claims of
innocence
·
Preservation of physical evidence
·
Testing of biological evidence, such as DNA, to resolve innocence
claims
·
Systemic review of convictions obtained through use of discredited
techniques such as lead-bullet analysis
Remedy the impact of wrongful convictions
Wrongful convictions have tragic consequences, best avoided by
reducing the number of wrongful convictions. However, wrongful
convictions do occur and they compound the tragedy of the original
crime, leaving the wrongly convicted with greatly diminished
potential and leaving the victims of a wrongly prosecuted crime with
despair. Policies that can remedy the tragic impact include those
that would:
·
Discover what went wrong with the process and how to fix it.
·
Compensate the wrongly convicted.
·
Provide transition assistance to the wrongly convicted.
·
Reopen the investigation of the wrongly prosecuted crime.
·
Counsel the victims of the wrongly prosecuted crime.
Because no remedy is available when an innocent person is executed,
the Innocence Movement rejects the use of the death penalty, and
calls for its elimination. Further, the Innocence Movement supports
enlightened approaches to incarceration that nurture genuine
rehabilitation and reintegration of productive citizens.
Volunteer in the contact form below:
Press release:
SHEET *** FACT SHEET ***
FACT SHEET
Media Release Media Release
2nd ANNUAL FREEDOM MARCH 2010
RAISING AWARENESS
OF WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS
AND UNITED VOICES FOR JUSTICE
WHAT:
FREEDOM MARCH 2010
-- a coordinated multi-state event to raise awareness of wrongful
convictions, spotlight the need for criminal justice reform and show
support for a moratorium on the death penalty in other states. With
over 2 million in jails & prisons
– more documented
prisoners per capita than any other country in the world --
the
WHERE:
The
rally will begin at 12:00 noon at the front east step of the
WHEN: Saturday, 2 October, 2010, from 12:00 noon till 2:30 pm.
WHO:
Completely organized by grassroots volunteers.
SPONSORED: National Coalition for Criminal Justice Reform: http://www.reformingjustice.com
Freedom March 2010 is an opportunity to raise united voices for
justice.
National
event website:
www.freedommarchusa.org
Speakers
ö Mr. Ken Wyniemko (DNA
Exoneree)
ö Ursula B. Armijo
(Mother of Dan Armijo, Wrongfully Convicted)
ö Scott Elliott (Running
for 21st State Senate Seat)
ö Velia Koppenhoefer
(Mother of Efrén Paredes Jr., Wrongfully Convicted)
ö Other speakers will be
addressing the epidemic of our nation’s innocent in prison.
ö ACLU Detroit
spokesperson
ö Cooley Innocent Project
of Michigan representative
CONTACT:
|
Ursula B. Armijo Event and Media Coordinador (586)-337-5182
www.Justice4Dan.org |
NATIONAL
MEDIA COORDINATORS: William Newmiller (719) 651-9205
|
About 2nd
Annual Freedom March 2010
Last year, the event was observed in 18 different states--all
coordinating their efforts, which involved hundreds of people
Modern science and technology have
shaken the once strong faith many once placed in the accuracy of
judgments made by our criminal justice system.
Thanks to DNA analysis of biological
evidence, hundreds have been exonerated—many after spending years on
death row. Research by D. Michael Risinger, Professor of Law
at Seton Hall indicates that 10% of those convicted of crimes are
factually innocent.
1. Since the Innocent Project was founded in 1992, 239 men and women have been proven innocent and released.
2. Over 3,000 other inmates have been proven innocent and released without the benefit of DNA testing.
3. Fact: 134 inmates were on death row that were proven innocent and released.
4.
If the estimate of 10% of the prison
population is actually innocent, that would mean that there are at
least 4,700 innocent people in the
Those who value justice demand that the criminal justice system apply the lessons to be learned from the many cases of wrongful conviction, and support policy initiatives that:
1. Raise the accuracy rate in judgments of guilt and innocence.
2. Resolve credible post-conviction claims of innocence.
3. Remedy the tragic impact of wrongful convictions.
4. Reintegrating ex-offenders as productive members of their communities
For those who are guilty of crimes, we
support enlightened approaches to incarceration that nurture genuine
rehabilitation and reintegration of productive citizens whenever
possible.
National Coalition for Criminal Justice Reform (NCCJR) was created by family members and friends of individuals that have been "wrongfully convicted" for a crime they did not commit. THOUSANDS across the United States of America have and are currently suffering from the most horrible and devastating injustice, being jailed for decades, life and/or even sitting on death row.
The National Coalition for Criminal Justice Reform seeks to improve criminal justice practices by mobilizing individuals, communities, organizations, and lawmakers. Our goals include:
Ursula B. Armijo
Michigan State Coordinator
Member of National Coalition for
Criminal Justice Reform
www.Justice4Dan.org
& ubarmijo@comcast.net
Tel: (586)-337-5182
