Injustice Watch (https://www.injusticewatch.org/author/abbyb/)
The State of Indiana is fighting to uphold an attempted murder conviction in which the key witness’s identification was bolstered after he went to hypnosis. The prosecutor in that case, who downplayed the importance of that session and allegedly sought to keep it secret, is now an Indiana judge.
The 1993 attempted murder conviction was based on the word of the victim’s identification, with little supporting evidence. The trial prosecutor did not reveal that he had subjected the victim to hypnosis to win a positive identification; in fact, the federal appeals court wrote in its opinion last week, the prosecutor deliberately sought to conceal that fact.
A suburban Cook County firefighter is standing trial, accused of arson in a small fire at his own bar. But the defense contends the firefighter is wrongly accused, contending racial animus by the fire marshal involved in the investigation.
Lawrence Crosby was kicked and punched by Evanston police officers who mistakenly thought the car he was driving was stolen. After now settling his lawsuit, Crosby hopes to establish a dialogue to promote better police tactics.
The Vermont Supreme Court ruling says a driver who claims racial profiling may bring suit against the officer, and casts doubt on the scent of marijuana as a valid basis for a search. Defense lawyers and civil rights groups praise the decision as a step to ending racial profiling.
A joint investigation by Injustice Watch and Capital News Service turns up cases across the country in which mentally disabled men plead guilty to crimes they did not commit, in some cases implicating others who are innocent. The latest installment in our nationwide examination by a coalition of news organizations, “Trading Away Justice.”
Illinois Appellate Court upholds harsh sentence to robber stealing underwear from dollar store. But the dissent contends the majority opinion approves the punishment of poverty, homelessness and addiction, citing words of Nelson Mandela.
Cook County became the first Illinois county to bar detention of pre-teenagers when it unanimously passed the resolution on Wednesday. Juvenile Justice experts said it is only the latest of measures that put Cook in the vanguard of reform on issues of juvenile detention.