...Innocence Project Research Paper Since 1992 The Innocence Project has exonerated 289 people in the United States. To be exonerated of a crime means that a person is acquitted for their crime and released back into society. These wrongful convictions are due to unvalidated or improper forensic science, eyewitness misidentification, and false confessions. In this paper I am going to tell the story of Clarence Elkins and why wrongfully convicting a person is a problem in the United States. It all started on June 6th, 1998 in Summit County, Ohio. Clarence Elkins’ niece was sleeping over at her grandmother’s house, only to be woken in the middle of the night to hearing her grandmother screaming. So his niece ran into the kitchen to see her grandmother being beaten by a man. She ran back into her bedroom to be followed by this man. The niece was sexually assaulted by him. Her next memory was waking up to see her grandmother dead in the kitchen. She then proceeded to run to her neighbor’s house to call the cops. While the cops were on the way the niece proceeded to tell her neighbors that the man she saw last night looked like her uncle Clarence Elkins. Elkins was immediately brought in for questioning and he was the police’s number one suspect. Biological evidence, including hairs, was found at the crime scene and from the victim’s body. Mitochondrial DNA testing was done on pubic hairs from the victim’s bodies. This testing excluded Elkins as a possible contributor...
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...Blue Ocean recently partnered with the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project (MAIP) to enhance our understanding of social injustices so that we have the knowledge to provide relevant and timely support to our community. We believe that life's persistent question of ‘What are we doing for others?’ is one we must answer with action, time and resources. We love learning more about other organizations in our community and are always looking for new ways to give back. The Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project’s mission is to free the staggering number of innocent people who remain incarcerated, and to bring reform to the system in the hopes of preventing future injustice. To this day, 356 people in the United States have been exonerated by DNA testing, including 20 who served time on death row. People who come to MAIP for help have nowhere else to turn - many have been convicted of horrendous crimes and are ignored by society despite their innocence. Often times, they have never had competent legal representation. MAIP gives hope to people who feel that they are out of options....
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...in the brutal beating death of his wife, Christine Morton, and sentenced to life in prison in 1987. But a recent court-ordered DNA test, conducted on a blood-stained bandanna over the objections of Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley, points instead to an unnamed California felon as the killer, according to court briefs filed by the Innocence Project of New York. The court filing urged a Williamson County district judge to remove Bradley from the case, saying he cannot be trusted to oversee a reinvestigation of the killing because he has shown “unprofessional” animosity toward Michael Morton and his lawyers. What’s more, the motion alleges, Bradley worked to keep a key piece of evidence hidden from Morton’s lawyers — a transcript of a police interview that shows the Mortons’ 3-year-old son witnessed his mother’s murder and said the attacker was not his father. The transcript should have been provided to Morton’s defense lawyers before the trial but was not, according to the Innocence Project motion. Bradley, who was not district attorney during the trial, recently opposed releasing the transcript to the Innocence Project under the state’s open records laws, the motion said. “Justice demands a rigorous and unbiased investigation into the true circumstances of Christine Morton’s death, and an explanation as to how her grieving husband was wrongfully...
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...The Innocence Project: James Bain Eyewitness identification is the process in which police presents eyewitnesses with a lineup or an array of photos, with the purpose of identifying a suspect ("Eyewitness Identification," 2011). The process of eyewitness identification involves placing the subject or the photo of a subject among others not suspected of committing the crime, in order for the eyewitness to identify the perpetrator ("Eyewitness Identification," 2011). However, research indicates that eyewitness identification is often unreliable due to the human mind’s inability to remember events exactly as it happened ("Eyewitness Misidentification," n.d). As a consequence eyewitness testimony is known to be one of the greatest causes of wrongful convictions nationwide, playing a role in nearly 75% of convictions overturned through DNA testing ("Eyewitness Misidentification," n.d). One of the most notorious cases in the State of Florida regarding eyewitness misidentification is the case of James Bain, who was convicted to life in prison as a teenager in 1974 for raping and kidnapping a nine year old boy. The perpetrator who was described as a 17-18 year old teen with a mustache, bushy sideburns and with the name of “Jimmy” by the victim; was identified by the victim’s uncle as Jimmy Bain ("James Bain," n.d.). As a result of such identification, the uncle who was the assistant principal of the school where Bain studied, provided the police department with a photograph of Bain;...
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...Catcher in the Rye: FLE In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield expresses his love of innocence as he sees it in others, in numerous ways. He demonstrates this through the way he talks about others and the way he acts around them. We learn that Holden lost his own innocence at an early age after his “perverty” (193) encounter with Mr. Antolini. Because of this, he cherishes, and wants to protect innocence in others. This is really a reflection of his desire to be innocent himself. Allie is a paragon of innocence to Holden. I know he’s dead! Don’t you think I know that? I can still like him, though, can’t I? Just because somebody’s dead, you don’t just stop liking them, for God’s sake–especially if they were a thousand times nicer than the people you know that’re alive and all (171). Innocence is lost in adulthood. Since Allie never becomes an adult, he is for Holden the epitome of innocence, consequently, Holden’s love for him is very deep. Holden’s memories of Allie will always be of an innocent Allie. Holden says that he will not stop liking Allie just because he is dead. The other people he talks about are the adults that Holden sees around him. He does not like any of them because they are phony, and have lost their innocence. Mr. Spencer is one person in the book who definitely has lost his innocence, but Holden does not dislike him. Although Holden says he likes Mr. Spencer, he does imply that Mr. Spencer is a phony. There are other...
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...kill her. They only kept Kate around for that long so she could look after the children on the bus. Kate feels responsible for the children and even offers them to take her life instead of Raymond’s. Kate is very clever. She comes up with a plan to get her and the children away from the hijackers. Kate takes orders from Miro and Artkin because she is afraid that if she disobeys her or the children will be harmed. Kate feels useless and feels like she can’t do anything to save her and children. On page 32 it says, “ Ordinarily, she hated to follow orders- at home or at school- but usually did. Another weakness. And here she was, complying again, carrying out the instructions they had given her.” Kate realizes that there are two types of innocence good and evil. Kate realizes that Miro thinks that killing all of those people is okay and she realizes that he is innocent, but not in a good way. Kate believes she is not brave. Kate says to herself, “ I’m not heroic, I’m not brave.” Kate has to summon all of her bravery to try and drive the bus away. Kate is very caring and is always putting the children first. She offers her own life for a child that she does not even know. She comforts the children when they wake up from a nightmare and she soothes them back to sleep. Kate is always putting others before herself and thinks of her safety second. I think that Kate is very brave even in the toughest of situations. Kate tries to win Miro over to make it harder for Miro to kill her. She...
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...There are many ways someone can define innocence. When a person hears that word, most likely they will think about an individual who is pure or someone who has the mindset of a child. Also, they may believe a person is free from sin or free from legal guilt of a crime. Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, explores this term by using different kinds of portrayals with its characters. Additionally, the book emphasizes the theme of the loss or destruction of innocence. Several characters in this novel who are considered innocent experience suffering. The main example of this concept is Tom Robinson. Tom is guiltless in the sense that he did not commit any crime. Another way that he is blameless was illustrated in the fact that he never intended to inflict damage on anyone. He is wrongly accused of rape, is found guilty, and is killed in prison because of it. This character’s journey is literally the death of innocence. A set of characters that lost their virtue during the book were Scout, Jem, and Dill....
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...English Why does Jem say to Miss Maudie, “I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that’s what they seemed like.” The outcome of the trial had a great affect on Jem. This is because his point of view on Maycomb completely switched after the jury gave their verdict, he realized that the town of Maycomb wasn’t as great as it appeared. When he saw his dad working as hard as he could to prove that Tom Robinson was innocent and there was clear evidence he was, they still put Tom in jail. The outcome of the court case made Jem realize no matter what happens in Maycomb, if you’re not white justice won’t be served. Jem’s quote represented his innocence as a child in the Maycomb community. He thought all the people in Maycomb were good and kind people until a key moment when the mob went to kill Tom at the courthouse, this soon brought to light what the reality is of the Maycomb people. Jem’s point of view on the community is now that they are no good and cruel to the blacks and treat them as if they had no rights, although Jem is still young and has a lot to learn but from his experience from the trial he picked up a greater knowledge by sitting in the colored section he basically had their point of view on life. They were invisible to the white people the floor below them and didn’t have that many seats which puts things into perspective about what life for the Robinson family and Tom has been and what it will be for...
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...The Catcher in the Rye: A Struggle to Preserve Innocence Adolescence is a crossroads for many, there is the natural gravitation toward adulthood as that is the next logical step in life, or for others, like Holden Caufield, it is means never growing up. William Faulkner once said ‘The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself.’ This applies to Holden at his core. He is a teenager struggling to balance his need for preserving childhood innocence and his desire to become an adult. In contrast to all adults whom Holden sees as riddled with flaws and phoniness, he sees children as pure, gentle, innocent, and perfect – frozen in time. His need to become the protector of the innocent or the “catcher in the rye” is deeply rooted in the traumatic loss of his younger brother Allie, along with his own fears of changing and growing up. This is what drives him to protect Phoebe and Jane as he might feel that if he can protect two people he loves from the thing he fears most, he can also protect himself. Holden was traumatized by the death of his brother Allie, sensitizing him to the reality of unjust death and suffering. His family’s impersonal approach to Holden’s expression of grief may have been an important contributing factor in the way he deals with figures of threatened innocence. Jane’s interactions with Holden occur a summer apart from the death of his brother. Holden states that ‘She was the only one, outside [his] Kanal2 family, that [he]...
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...to mind? - They entered a cathedral. 6. Characterize the way the boy feels when he is about to shoot. Why does he feel this way? - He is nervous 7. Which statements are true and which are false? After the has his first kangaroo he feels – Disappointed and it has been easy 8. How well do you remember the words used in the text. - We remember them very well. 9. What is the boy’s state of mind p. 27 11. 14-15 - He doesn’t know what he’s doing. 10. Explain: “He watched while the man strolled among the cripples blessing each with his wand.” Is the man a Christ figure? - It means that he’s watching the man killing the kangaroos, that he crippled. 11. “Something inside the boy died” What? - His innocence. 12. “It’s going to be a bloody good day”. Comment - Bloody. They have killed a lot of kangaroos 13. “This one, this big one, the boy knew, would make him a man.” What does he mean? Does it make him a man? * If he shoots this big kangaroo, it would make him a man. 14. Describe the boy’s state of mind when he shoots the big kangaroo. - He is very intense, nervous, shaking and so on. 15. Which sentence does the man repeat five times? What is the...
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...The Reader Text type = Novel By = Bernhard Schlink Text about = Apocalyptic Germany giving way to the new or emergent post world was Germany. How do the crimes of four bears effect the children ? This is the central theme of Schlink’s “The Reader.” Idea 1 = Michael represents innocence and his choice of sexual relationship with an older women demonstrates both his journey into ‘adulthood’ and the interlocking of two generations. The oedipus complex is used to demonstrate Hanna and Michaels relationship. Hanna’s nickname for Michael was “kid” and for her the appeal of Michael was his innocence. Hanna is archetype for the horrors of the holocaust, the bears of guilt and strain of illiteracy. Michael wanted to gain experience and understanding and go from viewing himself as as a child, “I had run away like a child, instead of keeping control of the situation, as I thought I should. I wasn’t nine years old anymore, I was fifteen” to someone who had experience and knew their “ … way around women, and could be comfortable and open in a friendly way.” Michael’s journey to enlightenment and adulthood had a massive effect on him, “ It wasn't that I forgot Hanna. But at a certain point the memory of her stopped accompanying me wherever I went. She stayed behind, the way a city stays behind as a train pulls out of the station.” The metaphor ?? demonstrates how much of an impact one person can have on one’s life. Can I use “The Odyssey is the story of motion...
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...felony murder the defendant is most likely going to plead not guilty. But no matter what your role was in the crime, you are guilty. Throughout the entire book you have no idea whether Steve is innocent or guilty until the jury decides the verdict, and even after the decision is made, we still question the decision that was made. In one of Steve’s journal entry he refers to himself as a monster and explains how he doesn’t feel human (61-62). Many people refer to killers as monsters and if Steve was innocent he wouldn’t be referring to himself as a monster. Steve is also perturbed about the whole case (13) and tried to convince himself that he is innocent (60-61), if Steve was truly innocent he wouldn’t have to convince himself of his innocence. In addition, Steve hangs out with older men in their twenties, these men all are negative influences(52). You can clearly see in the way Steve views himself and the people he hangs around play a role in his guilt. But the evidence doesn’t end there. Osvaldo Cruz is a 14 year old who admits to participating in the robbery and claims to have only participated because he feared what King and Bobo may have done to him if he didn’t (87). Now, Steve Harmon is 16, and King and Bobo are in their twenties, being much older there is a possibility that Steve was threatened and he agreed to assist in the “getover”. Next, Steve was out playing basketball after the robbery and murder went down, when he heard two women talking about it on the street...
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...One wrong decision can change you in an instant, we live in a world where faulty judgement can affect the lives of others around you. It is important that everyday we try and evaluate decisions that benefit us, as well others. Innocence is something we are born with and can be defined as freedom from sin, moral wrong, lack of purity or corruption. However, things that we possess can also be lost and or taken away including our innocence. A novel that demonstrates a vast loss of innocence is in Lord of the Flies written by William Goulding. Innocence in the novel is present in many of the characters but slowly begins to deteriorate over time due to the lack of maturity and discipline from their lives, which is replaced with violence and savagery....
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...They help heal families who have been hurt by the twisted justice system we have in America. Back then if they were accused they never got justice, the family never got justice. “The Innocence Project is a non-profit legal organization that is committed to exonerating wrongly convicted people through the use of DNA testing and to reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice” (Wikipedia.com) The Innocence Project has freed 343 wrongfully convicted and during this 40% of the DNA cases were able to find the real person who committed the crimes. In most of the cases that the Innocence Project has worked on, the most common reason for wrong convictions is false eyewitness identification or government...
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...Laboratory but Affettuoso Naturalism in literature, still popular and widely appreciated nowadays, is a crucial part of the evolution of American literature. In this essay, I’ll explain naturalism from my point of view by referring to some information I found and analyze a few clips of The Age of Innocence in depth to seek the naturalistic technique in it. Naturalism, a prominent literary movement in the mid-19th-century France, spread all its way to many countries’ literature circle and exerted profound effect on the development of the later literature. It is a completely different tune from literally realism while it provided warm-bed for the emergence of the later literal category, temporary literature in America. Though it didn’t last for a long time, plus no systematic formula for it was created, its influence and how popular it was with the readers and critics can be easily seen nowadays. As one of the most well-known naturalists, Zola, once said, “Naturalism, in literature…is the return to nature and to man, direct observation, correct anatomy, the acceptance and the depiction of that which is. The task is the same for the scientist as for the writer. Both have to abandon abstractions for realities, ready-made formulas for rigorous analysis. Hence no more abstract characters in our words, no more history of everyone, the web and woof of the daily life…” We could clearly see that naturalists tend to depict the society and people in the most objective way, trying to...
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