Conviction Integrity Units: An Interesting Example in Brooklyn

I’ve written before about Conviction Integrity Units (CIUs) in prosecutors’ offices (take a look here and here).  CIUs are groups of lawyers within prosecutors’ offices — just like a major crimes unit or a narcotics unit, though probably much smaller than either of these — with the job of investigating questionable past convictions from that same office.  CIUs do this when presented with evidence that raises real doubts about the guilt of a convicted defendant in one of the office’s past cases.

The first CIU was established by Dallas DA Craig Watkins, who had then just been elected against a backdrop of more than 20 exonerations of people wrongfully convicted under the past leadership of his agency.  (The latest story about Watkins and the exoneration of wrongfully convicted people in Dallas — examining a fascinating twist on exonerations — is here.)  Just a couple of years later, Patricia Lykos, then the newly elected DA in Houston, established a CIU in her office.  From Texas, the idea has begun to spread.

Both the Dallas and Houston CIUs have one thing in common: they were launched by new DAs to investigate cases that originated under former administrations.  No doubt this is easier than investigating mistakes that have happened under one’s own watch.

That’s what makes this story out of the Brooklyn DA’s office so interesting.  Charles Hynes, the elected DA of Brooklyn, established a CIU that will be looking at cases in which prosecutors obtained convictions during his own six terms in office.  For example, at the end of March, David Ranta, 58, was released after spending 23 years in prison for the killing of a rabbi in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  The original conviction came under Hynes’ leadership; when Ranta was released, Hynes gave credit for the release to his CIU.

CIUs accomplish something very fundamental: they make the task of uncovering mistakes in the justice system into a routine operation.  On the other hand, as readers of this blog have correctly pointed out, CIUs are a lot like internal affairs divisions in police departments: the DAs are investigating themselves.  This is easier to credit when the head of the office is not the same person who was at the helm when the mistakes were made.  It is also why CIUs  are still rare when the head of the office has been serving a long time — long enough to be the one responsible for the mistakes under investigation.

The Failed Evidence of Arson: Science Begins to Catch Up, and a Man is Freed After 42 Years

When I’m in Cincinnati for talks on Failed Evidence tonight, April 4, at 7:00 pm at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center and tomorrow, April 5, at noon at the University of Cincinnati School of Law, one topic sure to come up is an article from the April 3 New York Times, “Advances in Science of Fire Free a Convict After 42 Years. ”   Louis Taylor was serving 28 life sentences for the deaths caused by a fire in a Tucson, Arizona hotel in December of 1970.  Taylor, then just 16 years old, was convicted of arson based on faulty forensic science.

Mr. Taylor has been release from prison.  He is now 58 years old.

The story highlights the state of arson investigation, past and present.

A few years ago, the National Academy of Sciences turned its attention to the misuse of science in courtrooms, saying that pseudoscientific theories had been used to convict people of crimes they may not have committed. By then, a small group of fire engineers had already begun to discredit many of the assumptions employed in fire investigations, like the practice of using the amount of heat radiated by a fire to assess if an accelerant had been used.

Unlike DNA evidence, which can exonerate one person and sometimes incriminate another, the evidence collected in some arson investigations does not yield precise results. Often much of the evidence has been lost or destroyed. In the case of the hotel fire here, all that is left are photographs, reports and chemical analysis, all of them assembled to prove arson.

As a result, “we can’t definitely say what really caused the fire,” said John J. Lentini, a veteran fire investigator who wrote a report on Mr. Taylor’s case. “But what we can do is discredit the evidence” used to support the charge.

The case recalls the story of the trial and execution of Cameron Todd Willingham in Texas, executed in 2004 for the deaths of his children in a fire.  Experts call the arson in that case terribly flawed — just as in Mr. Taylor’s case.

The science surrounding investigation is light years ahead of where it used to be, even a decade ago.  It’s time that all of the old cases in which verdicts depended on outmoded and discredited methods of arson investigation be re-examined, and if necessary overturned.

“Failed Evidence” Discussions in Cincinnati, April 4 and 5

On Thursday April 4, and Friday April 5, I’ll be in Cincinnati for two discussions of Failed Evidence: Why Law Enforcement Resists Science (2012).  Both are free and open to the public.

On April 4, I’ll be discussing the book at 7:00 p.m. at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, 3711 Clifton Avenue, Cincinnati OH 43220.  The event is sponsored by the ACLU of Ohio.

On April 5, I’ll present at talk at the University of Cincinnati College of Law at noon.  The address is  2540 Clifton Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45221.  The event is in Room 114.  The event is sponsored by the Lois and Richard Rosenthal Institute for Justice/Ohio Innocence Project.  The event has been approved for CLE credit for attorneys.

NPR Story on Faulty Forensics and Criminal Justice: Failed Evidence Again

A story on National Public Radio highlights one of the central themes of”Failed Evidence: how does the criminal justice system react to advances in science that throw past convictions into doubt?  The answer will not surprise readers of this blog or Failed Evidence: they resist.

The story concerns the case of William Richards, convicted in 1997 of murdering his wife.  The conviction came in a fourth trial, after two hung juries and a mistrial failed to result in a verdict.  In the fourth trial, the prosecution introduced new evidence: testimony by a forensic dentist, who said that marks seen in a photograph of the victim’s body were human bite marks .  The marks, he said, were unusual enough that they were likely to have been made by the defendant’s distinctive teeth.   Ten years later, another forensic dentist corrected a distortion in the photo of the marks, using photo editing software.  Now, the first forensic dentist says the marks weren’t from human teeth at all, and he says that he should not have testified as he did.  Yet the defendant remains in prison, serving 25 years to life.

There’s a lot that is familiar here — too much.

First, the idea that bite mark identification should ever play a role — let alone the key role — in convicting someone and sending them to prison is just intolerable.  I have posted about the weakness of bite mark analysis before (here), and Richards’ case demonstrates the point all over again.  The forensic dentist who put Richards in prison testified that the bite mark (that turned out not to be a bite mark) was so distinctive that he estimated that only one or two out of a hundred people could have made it.  The idea that such an estimate — not at data-based study, but his personal estimate — of such a low probability could ever be considered for admission in a court should make everyone shiver.

Second, the story gives us the reaction of Jan Scully, past president of the National District Attorneys Association and the elected District Attorney of Sacramento County, California.  Scully says there is something more important than the fact that the central evidence in the case has been fatally undermined.  According to the NPR story:

“We need to have finality of verdicts,” she says. “There is always a new opinion or there might be a refinement in our forensic science areas. So, just because something new occurs doesn’t mean that the original conviction somehow was not valid.”

In other words, it’s the same old story from the NDAA: there is no significance to the demonstrated falsity of the “science” that was used to put a man in prison.  It is more important for the verdict to remain undisturbed.

It’s hard to imagine a story that captures the ideas in Failed Evidence more strongly.  Go to the story, and check it out.

“Failed Evidence” Reviewed in Chemical & Engineering News

Failed Evidence: Why Law Enforcement Resists Science (NYU Press, 2012) has been reviewed in Chemical and Engineering News, the publication of the prestigious American Chemical Society.  The review, entitled “Why Criminal Law Ignores Science,” is both enthusiastic and nuanced.  Here’s a slice or two:

The [criminal justice] system desperately needs changes, and it needs them fast. In his book, “Failed Evidence: Why Law Enforcement Resists Science,” David A. Harris, a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh, discusses the three most common causes of wrongful convictions, makes recommendations to help right the ship immediately as well as long term, and takes on law enforcement and prosecution that refuse to implement any meaningful changes—even in the face of scientific proof that doing so would decrease the number of wrongful convictions.

This “resistance to sound, science-based police investigative methods” is the theme of “Failed Evidence.” The book is an easy and informative read best suited for policymakers, scientists, advocates, judges, prosecutors, law enforcement, defense attorneys, and anyone with a general interest in the American criminal justice system. Truth be told, anyone who might find themselves sitting in the chair of a juror should read Harris’ book before sitting in judgment of a fellow human.

….

Harris paints a picture suggesting that together we can make a difference. We will never be perfect, but we can do things much better. “Ignoring science, when doing so increases the risk of wrongful convictions, simply does not square with justice or fairness,” he writes. Positive change must happen and as Harris concludes, “Justice demands no less.”

You can read the full review here.

Is the Lake Co., Ill. Prosecutor’s Office Turning the Page on Resistance to Science?

Michael Mermel, formerly a lawyer in the State’s Attorney’s office in Lake County, Illinois, became famous as a the prototypical prosecutor resisting science — even DNA.  Readers will remember Mr. Mermel from my post “Resistance, Thy Name is Mermel” back in June of 2012.  When DNA results in four of the office’s cases did not support the guilty verdicts, Mermel made clear that the DNA results meant nothing to him.  Mermel eventually resigned from the office  after telling The Chicago Tribune: “The taxpayers don’t pay us for intellectual curiosity. They pay us to get convictions.”  Mermel’s boss,  State’s Attorney Michael Waller, was replaced after the last election by Mike Nerheim, who made restoring the damaged integrity of the office one of his top priorities.

Now Nerheim has acted.  He has appointed a special “case review board” to examine possible cases of wrongful convictions.   In a video clip posted on YouTube, Nerheim explained that since “Lake County, Illinois, unfortunately,  has been identified as having an issue  with wrongful convictions,” he had appointed a panel of ”independent” lawyers  All of the six appointees “have no ties to these cases or to the office.”   According to Nerheim, an independent “fresh set of eyes” was critical in order to  “restore the public’s trust and confidence in the State’s Attorney’s Office.”

For making integrity of convictions a high priority for his office, Mr. Nerheim deserves credit and applause.  The only thing that seems off is the make up of the case review board.  According to The Chicago Tribune, four of the six members are former prosecutors; one of these four was a prosecutor in the Lake County office.  Without in any way impugning the integrity of the board members, their backgrounds may cause members of the community to perceive the board as less than fair — that the deck is stacked deck in favor of the prosecution.  I take no position on whether this is true or not; the concern is that if the function of this  very worthy panel is to restore trust and integrity, some citizens of Lake County may be less than fully impressed with the independence of the group.  One possible remedy would be to do what DA Craig Watkins has done with his Conviction Integrity Unit in Dallas: he has made the Texas Innocence Project an integral part of the Unit’s work.

Still, it’s important to congratulate Mr. Nerheim and everyone he serves in Lake County, Illinois.  Now things can start to get better, even if they aren’t perfect.

Failed Evidence Reviewed by the American Criminal Law Review

The current issue of the American Criminal Law Review has a review essay of Failed Evidence: Why Law Enforcement Resists Science (2012).   According to the review, the book “engages…broadly with forensics” to explore “why law enforcement and prosecutors have shown such marked reluctance to incorporate a modern understanding of the scientific method.”  The review concludes that Failed Evidence “provides a thoughtful analysis of the scientific bases underlying forensics, current evidentiary and investigatory problems, and possible solutions. [The] suggestions are particularly well thought-out because they consider the problems faced by law enforcement when implementing ideal solutions in the real world.”

You can read the full review here.

The Cost of Wrongful Convictions in Texas

I wrote in an earlier post that a wrongful conviction amounts to a triple tragedy.  First, the wrongfully convicted person ends up in prison.  Second, the victim is deprived of real justice.  Third, the real perpetrator remains free, and can victimize others.

Today, let’s consider another kind of cost: money paid in compensation to those wrongfully convicted.

In twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia, those wrongfully convicted are eligible to receive some amount of compensation.  No state has to do this; there is no constitutional obligation.

Texas, which has had more wrongful convictions than any other state.  Dallas County,  alone, has twenty-four, a larger number than every state except Illinois and New York.  Perhaps because of of the magnitude of its problem, Texas has one of the more generous compensation schemes in the country.

According to an article in the Austin American Statesman, Texas has paid out some $65 million dollars in wrongful conviction compensation.  This is an enormous amount of money, and according to many authorities, the amount will certainly grow over time.

What accounts for this in Texas, a state that had a lock-’em-all-up mentality on crime for so many years?  One answer comes from Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis, one of Texas’ leaders on criminal justice reform.  “The justice system in Texas had fundamental flaws, and this is the result.  At this point, I don’t think anyone can seriously doubt that we had a problem — a big problem.”  Another member of the legislature, Senate Criminal Justice Committee Chairman John Whitmire, sees the compensation as a way to get the system to respond to the mistakes of the past.  “I’m committed to correcting the problems we know have been a problem in our system in the past. We have to make the system accountable.”

Of course, it is worth pointing out that this isn’t the only monetary cost of wrongful convictions.  Costs for trials and appeals of the wrong people can run into the millions of dollars before a person is exonerated.

Prosecutors, police, and some lawmakers have opposed the compensation system.  Some of them believe the compensation system in Texas is too generous.

But some folks in Texas disagree.  As Chairman Whitmire says, “it’s just the right thing to do.”  Legislative spokesperson Jeremy Warren adds that “people can get upset about the level of compensation, but imagine spending years and years in prison for a crime they did not commit. If it was you, how much would be enough?”

So if tougher-than-tough Texas can do this, why can’t other states?

“Failed Evidence” Selected By delanceyplace.com, the Non-fiction Book Source

Good news: Failed Evidence: Why Law Enforcement Resists Science is the Feb. 4 selection by delanceyplace.com, a service that highlights and quotes new works for a large community of readers.  Delancyplace.com provides daily subscribers with “an excerpt or quote we view as interesting or noteworthy, offered with commentary to provide context. There is no theme, except that most excerpts will come from a non-fiction work, primarily historical in focus, and will occasionally be controversial. Finally, we hope that the selections will resonate beyond the subject of the book from which they were excerpted.”  Other recent selections have included Jared Diamond, The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies; Gordon Wood, Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815; and Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman, Transcend: Nine Steps to Living Well Forever.

 

With 300-plus Cases of DNA Exoneration, In How Many Is the Defendant Actually Innocent?

My  presentation Failed Evidence on January 31 at the University of Toledo College of Law — lively, well attended, and intense — featured a great question that I want to put to everyone.

One person in attendance was a man who is a police chief in Ohio.  He’s had a long and distinguished career; I had the great privilege of working with him some years ago, when I was a member of the University of Toledo faculty.    In one part of my presentation on Failed Evidence, I discussed the more than 300 cases since 1989 in which DNA identification has resulted in an exoneration.   In the Q & A after the talk, the chief asked a question about the 300-plus cases.  I’ll paraphrase: among those cases, he said, there would be some in which the DNA results disproved the conviction, but did not necessarily prove the defendant was not guilty.  This is because, he said, the absence of the defendant’s DNA may not support guilt, but it also does not necessarily prove innocence either.  (I’m hoping I understood his comment/question correctly and am conveying it clearly.) Was I prepared to admit that in at least some of the 300 cases, the defendants might indeed be guilty, even if the DNA had resulted in the defendant’s release and the dropping of charges?

I have had this question asked of me before, and heard it posed to others.  I gave my answer, but I would like very much to hear yours.  What do you think? Is the question correct, or is it based on certain assumptions that may not hold?  What would your answer to the question be?