In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in Miller v. Alabama that seemed to hold life sentences without parole for juveniles unconstitutional. The court found that locking a juvenile away for life without the possibility of parole was cruel and unusual...
Month: April 2021
3 more forensic labs around the country caught up in scandal
As a society, we must trust state forensic labs to accurately test evidence. They are supposed to be neutral, not agents for the prosecution or police. They have ethical standards. Too often, forensic labs have failed us. When they do, it can result in wrongful...
Should police be allowed to collect your ‘abandoned’ DNA without your consent or a warrant?
The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures by government agents such as police. It is among our primary sources of constitutional protection against government overreach and surveillance. This is because, in criminal...
Alabama DA reviews death penalty case, finds obvious problems
District attorneys around the U.S. are reviewing past convictions for evidence that they were wrongful. Unfortunately, there are many situations that can lead to wrongful convictions. Recently, the DA for Jefferson County, Alabama, reviewed Toforest Johnson’s...