Kirk Bloodsworth, the first death row DNA exoneree and current Executive Director of Witness to Innocence, at the 2019 Innocence Network Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo: Lacy Atkins.
“The administration should reverse course on reinstating the death penalty.”
Rebecca Brown, Director of Policy
Last week, Attorney General Barr announced an order to resume capital punishment after 16 years, including the immediate scheduling of five executions. From Kirk Bloodsworth—the first DNA death row exoneree—to the more than 160 people exonerated from death row by other means, according to data from the Death Penalty Information Center, we know the system is deeply flawed. In a recent op-ed in the Hill, Innocence Project Director of Policy Rebecca Brown shared the irreversible risk Barr's order poses:
Given the proven errors, racial bias and chorus of concern expressed by bipartisan state and federal lawmakers, the administration should reverse course on reinstating the death penalty and instead spend its time and limited resources on achieving effective and fair criminal justice reform. Read in full.
Raymond Tempest spent 24 years in prison for a murder he maintains he didn't commit. Photo by Lacy Atkins.
“I want the people of Rhode Island to know that what happened to me was wrong. I lost everything.”
Raymond Tempest, Freed 2017
Innocence Project client Raymond Tempest was featured in the Providence Journal discussing the prosecutorial and police misconduct that put him behind bars for more than two decades. Three years ago this month, the Rhode Island Supreme Court threw out Raymond's murder conviction, finding that the trial prosecutor, James Ryan, "deliberately" failed to disclose key evidence supporting Tempest's innocence. Yet Mr. Ryan has never faced professional discipline. Last week, the Innocence Project filed a formal grievance with Rhode Island's chief disciplinary counsel, asking for Mr. Ryan to be formally investigated for his misconduct in Tempest's case. In the Journal's special feature, Tempest discusses why accountability is so important to him, and the enormous losses he and his family suffered as a result of his wrongful conviction and imprisonment.
Archie Williams moments after his exoneration on March 21, 2019. Photo by Innocence Project New Orleans.
“This degree of unprecedented state-level reform across the country resulted from the work of so many."
Rebecca Brown, Director of Policy
Every time we exonerate an innocent person, we celebrate. However, our work does not end there. Until wrongful convictions no longer plague the criminal justice system, we will continue to fight for laws that support a fair and just legal framework in all 50 states. Because of the multitude of practices and systemic factors that contribute to wrongful convictions, the Innocence Project’s policy department works steadfastly to reform laws across the United States.
Over the last 12 months, the Innocence Project’s policy team—in collaboration with the Innocence Network and other key partners – has reached new heights, passing 21 reforms in 17 states. The Innocence Project typically works in partnership with members of the Innocence Network, impacted people and exonerated men and women, and other key partners, from the Hotel Trades Council in New York and the Culinary Workers in Nevada to the Nebraska Victims Assistance Academy.
Christopher Tapp hugging his lawyer John K. Thomas following his exoneration in Idaho Falls, Idaho. (Otto Kitsinger/AP Images for The Innocence Project)
“The system thought that I could be thrown away.”
Chris Tapp, Exonerated 2019
On July 17, Chris Tapp was exonerated of a rape and murder for which he wrongfully served 20 years in prison in Idaho. DNA analysis identified the man who actually committed the crime and he was arrested and charged this May.
When 20-year-old Chris was initially questioned about the 1996 murder of Angie Dodge, he told police he was innocent. After 30 hours of interrogation over the course of weeks, however, Chris implicated himself under pressure from coercive interrogation tactics known to induce false statements, including the threat of execution, false promises of leniency, and being fed details of the crime scene.
No physical evidence connected Chris to the crime—in fact, DNA testing conducted before trial indicated he was not responsible for the attack. Prosecutors moved forward with charges anyway and Chris was convicted because of misplaced confidence in the weight of his confession. Read more about his case.
