The Innocence Commission : Preventing Wrongful Convictions and Restoring the Criminal Justice System / Jon B. Gould.
2007
KFV2987 .G68 2008eb
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Title
The Innocence Commission : Preventing Wrongful Convictions and Restoring the Criminal Justice System / Jon B. Gould.
Author
Gould, Jon B., author.
ISBN
9780814733066
Published
New York, NY : : New York University Press, [2007]
Copyright
©2007
Language
English
Language Note
In English.
Description
1 online resource
Other Standard Identifiers
10.18574/nyu/9780814733066.001.0001 doi
Call Number
KFV2987 .G68 2008eb
Dewey Decimal Classification
347.755/012
Summary
Beyond Exonerating the Innocent: Author on WAMU RadioConvicted Yet Innocent: The Legal Times ReviewChoice Outstanding Academic Title for 2008DNA testing and advances in forensic science have shaken the foundations of the U.S. criminal justice system. One of the most visible results is the exoneration of inmates who were wrongly convicted and incarcerated, many of them sentenced to death for crimes they did not commit. This has caused a quandary for many states: how can claims of innocence be properly investigated and how can innocent inmates be reliably distinguished from the guilty? In answer, some states have created "innocence commissions" to establish policies and provide legal assistance to the improperly imprisoned.The Innocence Commission describes the creation and first years of the Innocence Commission for Virginia (ICVA), the second innocence commission in the nation and the first to conduct a systematic inquiry into all cases of wrongful conviction. Written by Jon B. Gould, the Chair of the ICVA, who is a professor of justice studies and an attorney, the author focuses on twelve wrongful conviction cases to show how and why wrongful convictions occur, what steps legal and state advocates took to investigate the convictions, how these prisoners were ultimately freed, and what lessons can be learned from their experiences.Gould recounts how a small band of attorneys and other advocates - in Virginia and around the country - have fought wrongful convictions in court, advanced the subject of wrongful convictions in the media, and sought to remedy the issue of wrongful convictions in the political arena. He makes a strong case for the need for Innocence Commissions in every state, showing that not only do Innocence Commissions help to identify weaknesses in the criminal justice system and offer workable improvements, but also protect society by helping to ensure that actual perpetrators are expeditiously identified, arrested, and brought to trial. Everyone has an interest in preventing wrongful convictions, from police officers and prosecutors, who seek the latest and best investigative techniques, to taxpayers, who want an efficient criminal justice system, to suspects who are erroneously pursued and sometimes convicted.Free of legal jargon and written for a general audience, The Innocence Commission is instructive, informative, and highly compelling reading.
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Access limited to authorized users.
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Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
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text file PDF
Source of Description
Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 18. Sep 2023)
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print 9780814731796
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Table of Contents
Frontmatter
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. History and Background
2. The Innocence Commission for Virginia
3. The Cases
4. An Unmet Obligation
5. Putting It All Together
Appendixes
Notes
Index
About the Author
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. History and Background
2. The Innocence Commission for Virginia
3. The Cases
4. An Unmet Obligation
5. Putting It All Together
Appendixes
Notes
Index
About the Author