Criminal Justice
Faulty Eyewitness IDs, Flawed Procedures Helped Convict the Innocent
Posted Oct 13, 2008, 12:14 pm CDT
By Martha Neil
Faulty eyewitness identifications, often encouraged by flawed police procedures, were the reason why 18 of 19 men cleared by DNA evidence since 2001 were initially convicted in Dallas County, Texas, of crimes that they didn't commit.
Although the county has led the nation in the number of defendants exonerated by DNA since 2001, that is in part because it has preserved evidence and encourages DNA testing, reports the Dallas Morning News.
And the problems that led to the wrongful convictions are far from unique to Dallas County: "Misidentifications have been cited as a key factor in an estimated 75 percent of the 220 wrongful convictions exposed by DNA testing nationwide since 1989," the newspaper writes in a lengthy article.
Related coverage:
Dallas Morning News: "At a glance: Overturned convictions"
ABAJournal.com: "18th Innocent Man Freed in 1 Texas County; Officials Vow Change"
ABAJournal.com: "Prosecutors Who Withhold Evidence Should Be Jailed, Texas DA Says"
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