Associated Links

"Failing the DNA Test," Michael Blanding and Lindsay Markel, November 20, 2011, The Boston Globe Magazine

WBUR's Radio Boston hosts talk with Schuster Senior Fellow Michael Blanding about DNA testing for prisoners in Massachusetts

WGBH's Phillip Martin discusses the proposed Mass. DNA access law: Part 1 | Part 2

• Post-conviction DNA testing in Massachusetts: "Failing the Test"
• Waiting for DNA: More about Massachusetts prisoners claiming innocence who are featured in the article
• Exonerated by DNA: Massachusetts wrongful convictions overturned
• Background: A primer on the Massachusetts DNA access bill
• Underlying issue: No law requiring preservation of crime scene evidence<
  • DNA technology: Constantly evolving, constantly exonerating
  • Is the murderer still on the streets? Post-conviction tests often identify the real perpetrator
• Digging deeper: What do exonerations teach us about the criminal justice system?
• Non-DNA cases: What happens if there is no DNA to test? 

How do wrongful convictions occur?

• Eyewitness misidentification
• Faulty forensics, or bad science
• False confessions
• Informants and "snitches"
• Bad lawyering or representation in court
• Misconduct by prosecutors or law enforcement

Journalists' guide: How you can localize the Troy Davis story in your state

What is Brandeis doing to remedy and prevent wrongful convictions?