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On Friday, February 17, 2012 Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed bill …
Read MoreFebruary 17, 2012 Tags: Betty Anne Waters, Dennis Maher, DNA Access and Preservation, DNA Access Bill, DNA Access Laws, DNA Preservation Laws, Kenny Waters, Massachusetts No Comments 
The New England Innocence Project (NEIP) is thrilled to announce that on Wednesday February 8, 2012 the Massachusetts House of Representatives unanimously passed bill …
Read MoreFebruary 8, 2012 Tags: DNA Access and Preservation, DNA Access Bill, DNA Access Laws, Massachusetts No Comments
Today is the day! The MA House of Representatives will be debating the DNA Access bill later today. If passed, potentially INNOCENT inmates in MA will be able to test the DNA evidence which could prove their innocence. …
Read MoreFebruary 8, 2012 Tags: DNA Access Bill, DNA Access Laws, DNA Preservation Laws, Massachusetts No Comments
UPDATE-If you an innocent person in prison in Massachusetts, and there is DNA evidence in your case, you do not have the right to test that evidence under current laws. NEIP exoneree Dennis Maher spent 6 extra years in prison because …
Read MoreFebruary 2, 2012 Tags: Betty Anne Waters, DNA Access Laws No Comments
The …
Read MoreFebruary 1, 2012 Tags: Arson, James Hebshie, John Lentini, Unvalidated Forensic Science No Comments
NEIP was saddened to hear of the passing of Frank Bae, but honored that he chose to recognize us in his obituary. Frank was the longtime director of the Law Library at New England Law Boston and his dedication to the legal system was unparalleled. His contributions to law and legal education will continue to …
Read MoreJanuary 29, 2012 Tags: Frank Bae, Obituary No Comments
The case of Jimmy Hebshie, NEIP’s most recent exoneree, was profiled in a short article in the winter 2012 volume of the ABA’s Criminal Justice Magazine. The article titled “Ineffective Assistance of Counsel and Expert Testimony” by Paul C. Giannelli examines the discredited arson sciene and …
Read MoreJanuary 27, 2012 Tags: Arson, James Hebshie, Massachusetts No Comments
Juan Rivera, who was profiled in a …
Read MoreJanuary 27, 2012 Tags: False Confession, Illinois, Juan Rivera, Michael Mermel No Comments
The National Academy of Sciences released a report in 2009 detailing major flaws in the way forensic evidence collected from crime scenes is analyzed in the United States. The NAS report detailed how many labs draw conclusions from unproven and non-peer reviewed techniques such as bite-mark analysis. The report recommends implementing enforceable standards for various …
Read MoreJanuary 25, 2012 Tags: NAS Report No Comments
The story of New England exoneree Kenneth Ireland was back in the news yesterday when jurors convicted Kevin Benefield of the 1986 rape and murder of Barbara Pelkey, a crime that Ireland served 19 years in prison for before being cleared by DNA evidence. Pelkey was a 30-year-old mother of four when she was brutally …
Read MoreJanuary 20, 2012 Tags: DNA Testing, Kenneth Ireland, Kevin Benefield No Comments
