The Registry of National Exonerations has monitored and analyzed over 2,100 instances since 1989 in which inmates were later found not to have been guilty of the crimes for which they were incarcerated. A new report from the group says at least 139 inmates were exonerated last year, a decline from record levels set in
Cook County, Illinois Chief Criminal Judge LeRoy K. Martin tossed the convictions of 15 criminal defendants on November 16, 2017, because the cases were linked to disgraced former Chicago Police Sergeant Ronald Watts. All of the men whose cases were overturned claimed that they had been framed by Watts, who went to federal prison in
Daniel Gristwood was a 29-year-old printer when he was arrested for the attempted murder of his wife on January 12, 1996. He initially confessed to the crime and was convicted in New York state court based on that confession. Gristwood was sentenced to 12.5 years to 25 years in prison. During his prison term, Gristwood
In an unusual turn of events, a former prisoner was appointed to Connecticut’s Parole Board. While ex-prisoners are typically not considered parole board members, state officials decided that Kenneth F. Ireland was a qualified candidate. In 1989, when he was 18 years old, Ireland was convicted of raping and murdering Barbara Pelkey, a mother of
By Prison Legal News A California high school football star who was exonerated after serving five years in prison for kidnapping and raping a classmate has fulfilled his dream of playing for the NFL, and there are plans to make a movie about his ordeal. Meanwhile, the woman who falsely accused him has been ordered
Last Tuesday morning when inmate #1137593 bent down to tie his shoes, he did not know what the rest of the day would bring. The inmate’s name was Ryan Ferguson. Ferguson remained neutral with his emotions because had been through the same scenario before. He was holding back from getting his hopes up that this
Christopher Scott, Johnnie Lindsey, and Billy Smith all have something in common. They are among more than 40 other Dallas citizens exonerated from extensive sentences imposed on them for crimes they had nothing to do with. Combined, the trio has served 63 years of their lives behind prison walls. For the past 36 years, Dallas,
Dianne Frazee-Walker Ten years ago, when Brian Banks was a 16-year-old high school student, his freedom was cut short because of a false allegation. Banks had just agreed to sign on to play football at Southern Cal because Coach Pete Carroll had his eye on the Long Beach Poly High School star linebacker. Instead, he
We have profiled every prison within the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
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