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What's going on at the Innocence Project this month?
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Rodney Reed with his brother Rodrick, nephew Rodrick Jr., and mother Sandra Reed at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit, West Livingston, Texas in 2019. Photo courtesy of the Reed Justice Initiative.
Justice for Rodney Reed
Rodney Reed has been on death row in Texas for 23 years for a crime he’s always said he didn’t commit. This month, he’s been back in court trying to prove his innocence. Multiple witnesses took the stand last week and gave testimony that could help finally get justice for Rodney. If you haven’t already, add your name to join Rodney’s team and let everyone know you’ll be fighting for him by sharing this on Twitter.
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signs deception bill with exonerees, Innocence Project staff and State Attorney Kim Foxx on Thursday, July 15, 2021 in Chicago. (Jean-Marc Giboux/AP Images for Innocence Project)
Illinois Becomes the First State to Ban Police from Lying to Juveniles During Interrogations
This month, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed a historic bill prohibiting police from using deception during interrogations of minors. The new law bans commonly used deceptive interrogation tactics, including making false promises of leniency and false claims about the existence of incriminating evidence. Both of these tactics have long been identified as significantly increasing the risk of false confessions, which have played a role in about 30% of all wrongful convictions overturned by DNA. Read more about the landmark law.
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Pervis Payne in Riverbend Maximum Security institution in Tennessee. Photo courtesy of PervisPayne.Org.
The Death Penalty Disproportionately Hurts People of Color With Intellectual Disabilities, Like Pervis Payne
Despite the fact that the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to execute someone with an intellectual disability, we know that people with intellectual disabilities — especially those of color — are still particularly vulnerable to wrongful capital murder convictions and death sentences. Nowhere are the discrepancies more evident than in Tennessee, where Pervis Payne, a Black man with an intellectual disability, has spent 33 years on death row for a murder he has always maintained he did not commit. Take a moment today to read more about these disparities and Pervis’ story.
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At his trial, Carlos DeLuna (left) maintained that Carlos Hernandez (right) had committed the murder, but the prosecution and courts asserted that Mr. Hernandez was a “phantom” person.
An Unsettling New Documentary Details the Wrongful Execution of Carlos DeLuna. Here Are Three Similar Cases That Will Spur You to Action.
The Phantom is a disturbing and powerful new documentary that details the wrongful execution of Texas man Carlos DeLuna. To further illustrate how the death penalty has robbed people of a fair chance to prove their innocence, we bring your attention to three cases the Innocence Project has been involved in: the stories of Cameron Todd Willingham, Sedley Alley, and Troy Davis. Take a moment today to read and share this article.
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Exonerations Around the U.S.
Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project client Clarence Jones was exonerated on July 6, 2021, after having spent 19 years in prison and 3 years on parole. Wisconsin Innocence Project clients Ashley Jordan and Albert Debelbot were exonerated on April 13, 2021, after each having spent 13 years wrongfully incarcerated. Northern California Innocence Project client Juan Bautista was exonerated on June 24, 2021, after having spent 12 years wrongfully
incarcerated. Georgia Innocence Project client Dennis Perry was exonerated on July 19, 2021, after having spent over 20 years wrongfully incarcerated. Innocence Project at UVA School of Law client Bobbie Mormon, Jr. was exonerated on July 14, 2021, after having spent 22 years wrongfully incarcerated. Arizona Justice Project client Elizabeth Cicogni was exonerated on April 6, 2021, after 19.5 years wrongfully incarcerated.
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