Injustice Watch (https://www.injusticewatch.org/author/abbyb/)
An Illinois House committee approved a bill late Tuesday that would ease the harsh penalties in the Illinois retail theft law. But amidst opposition from Illinois retailers, members of the House Judiciary – Criminal Committee agreed to consider amending the reform effort before moving it to the full House.
An Illinois appellate panel has overturned a 1990 murder conviction, finding that Chicago police detectives had coerced the confession of the defendant. The court found that Cook County judge Neera Walsh’s decision to disbelieve the abuse was “arbitrary” and “manifestly wrong.”
A south suburban Cook County firefighter was acquitted of committing arson on a bar he owned. The defense contended that the state had brought a false case, and contended the investigator had expressed racial comments in the past to the defendant.
Illinois appellate judges uphold an armed robbery conviction, overturn a gun conviction. In both cases, judges spar over the need to protect public safety against the need to protect against unlawful convictions and flawed evidence.
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.”