legal aid society wrongful conviction unit

Since 2015, the DNA Unit of the Legal Aid Society in New York City has held an annual, two-day forensic conference for defense attorneys called Questioning Forensics. Gothamist is a website about New York City news, arts, events and food, brought to you by New York Public Radio. PDF Anthony W. Batts, Maddy deLone and Darrel W. Stephens Legal Aid Society (1) The Legal Aid Society (1) Get fresh Wrongful Conviction jobs daily straight to your inbox! Im sure that some day all of it will be exposed and many people will have their day in court again.. The Cop Accountability Project (CAP) of the Criminal Defense Practices Law Reform and Special Litigation Unit empowers organizations and communities across New York City to hold police accountable for human rights violations. he did not see who shot the victim and did not know who did. Heres what you should know after your conviction has been sealed. About 100 convictions were allowed to stand, prosecutors said, after the office determined that other corroborating evidence existed aside from the officers testimony. One witness for the prosecution, who was under arrest for an unrelated attempted murder, repeatedly told police he had no information on Coopers alleged involvement in the murder, according to Coopers civil complaint. | translate }}. Sims with his sons, Antoine and Anthony Jr., in 2015 | Keisha Sims. Hale disclosed none of this to Coopers defense counsel, according to Coopers civil complaint. On appeal, the conviction was overturned due to the wrongful admission of the interrogation. The lawsuit, against the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB), the New York State Department of Homes and Community Renewal (DHCR), and individual landlords, now includes . This conference is for Defense Attorneys only. . Simply put, this grant is a gamechanger and will bolster our capacity to screen more cases and exonerate more New Yorkers who were wrongfully convicted, said Elizabeth Felber, Supervising Attorney of the Wrongful Conviction Unit at The Legal Aid Society. BY: Elizabeth Dickinson | DATE: Jan 04, 2021, BY: Naz Ahmad, Acting Director of CLEAR | DATE: Feb 01, 2023, Delivering Justice: CUNY Law and The Legal Aid Society Team Up to Reduce Incarceration through Post-conviction Testing of DNA Evidence. Hale had a record of alleged prosecutorial misconduct dating back to the 1990s. Sims and Kisha divorced in 2018, but say they have remained close friends. Myself and a multidisciplinary team of students reviewed criminal cases in Western Australia for possible wrongful conviction. This is a very important role; the work of this committee is of extraordinary importance, not just to the Muslim community, but to all communities in New York. Chapter 59.18 RCW: RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD-TENANT ACT The Legal Aid Society, one member of the 2021 group, urged the city's district attorneys to continue reviewing potentially wrongful convictions "on an ongoing basis and with full transparency . If you are looking to donate, get involved, or get assistance, find and connect to your local Network organization here. 2023 The Legal Aid Society. Lastly David heads Legal Aid's Wrongful Conviction Unit. In 2013, controversy over Hynes tactics helped Kenneth Thompson defeat Hynes. Pro Bono Scholar, Wrongful Conviction Unit at The Legal Aid Society . The group Families of the Wrongfully Convicted, along with lawyers from the Legal Aid Society, argued that the Conviction Review Unit established in 2014 under the late Brooklyn DA Kenneth . We hope you will pursue all available legal remedies, Felber said. I had to forgive him, because I didnt want to walk around bitter., He reassured his son: Everything is gonna work itself out. Under New Yorks 2021 legalization law, several old and new penal law marijuana convictions will be automatically expunged. Today, DNA testing has developed to a point where reinvestigation, reanalysis, or retesting of biological evidence can help prove innocence. Help with Wrongful Convictions, Appeals, Sealing - The Legal Aid Society The office spent 10 months reviewing every Brooklyn conviction in which the 13 former officers were involved, flagging for dismissal cases in which they served as the primary witnesses. February 27, 2023 - News Podcast - Work Comp Training, Online Courses To find out if you are eligible to have a criminal record sealed call 212-298-3120 or email CaseClosed@legal-aid.org. pay $21,500 to each of hundreds of demonstrators, shows that the Police Department paid $121 million. The Legal Aid Society had filed an amended lawsuit to stop illegal apartment layout alterations initiated by the landlords, which threaten to displace long-term rent-stabilized tenants, as reported by Gothamist.. Meet the Newest Network Previously a reporter for Courthouse News, he has appeared as a guest on NewsNation, NBC, MSNBC, CBS's "Inside Edition," BBC, NPR, PBS, Sky News, and other . CUNY Policy On Sexual Misconduct. Any of the other testimony [] wouldnt really matter unless I can get [Graves].. They dont want to hurt their friends or make their friends look bad. (Yes!)" Of the Brooklyn cases, 331 were misdemeanor convictions and 47 were felonies. The Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) provides direct legal services to taxpayers who have personal income tax disputes with the Internal Revenue Service or the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. It will be held in-person in NYC on March 23 and 24 at the City of New York Law School in Queens, New York (CUNY). In the fall of 2017, The Legal Aid Society launched The Womens Pretrial Release Initiative (The Initiative). Wrongful Convictions {{ "Available to anyone, anytime" | translate }}, {{ "Read about our impact and get recent news:" | translate }}, {{ "See One Degree in the Media:" | translate }}, {{ "Explore helpful videos, webinars, slides and more for Pro members" | translate }}, {{ "One Degree keeps all of our resources up-to-date every 6 months" | translate }}, {{ 'Search by text message available!' 2023 The Legal Aid Society. Apparently the quickest way to corral the populace into *smart cities* with relentless surveillance is to DNA; Non-DNA; Collins was wrongfully convicted in 1995 in Brooklyn; his. Although he did not pull the trigger and was actually nowhere near the shooting, he was charged under New York's controversial felony murder law and sentenced to 71 years to life. Supervising Attorney - Wrongful Conviction Unit at The Legal Aid Society Sidwell Friends High School, Northwestern University, Benjamin Cardozo School of Law View profile View profile badges Wrongful Convictions, Appeals, Clemency & Sealing, Empowering People with Disability & Health Issues, Lifting the Voices of Children & Adolescents, Supporting Survivors of Violence & Navigating Divorce. Hadi Ali Chattha - A-Levels, Law Teacher - Bloomfield Hall School Mr. Gonzalezs office will seek to dismiss the remaining cases over the next few weeks. One of those officers, Richard Danese, was also named several years ago on a list of seven officers whom Brooklyn prosecutors stopped calling as witnesses because of concerns about their credibility. The article has been updated to account for the one exoneration produced in that year. When he went to prison, his wife, Kisha, brought their children to visit every weekend. Individuals who believe they qualify for clemency should apply online with the Governors Office. Christopher Alexander - Pro Bono Scholar, Wrongful Conviction Unit The Exploitation Intervention Project works with trafficking survivors to help them vacate criminal convictions related to their trafficking and seal the records of those arrests. New York Appeals Court Gives James Davis New Murder Trial - Law & Crime We cannot stand behind a criminal conviction where the essential law enforcement witness has been convicted of crimes which irreparably impair their credibility, said District Attorney Melinda Katz in a statement. Section II looks at the role cognitive biases play in wrongful convictions. The loss of that evidence could affect cases and people The Legal Aid Society represents who may have been wrongly convicted. Legal Resources - MOPD - New York City Indianapolis, IN 46202. The grant will be managed by the Research Foundation of CUNY. The collaboration between the Defenders Clinic and The Legal Aid Societys Wrongful Conviction Unit will help the next generation of social justice attorneys develop vital lawyering skills while increasing access to post-conviction legal representation. After taking office in 2014, Thompson expanded the Conviction Review Unit, fulfilling a campaign promise and earning a wave of laudatory national media attention. Copyright 2022 The City University of New York School of Law | 2 Court Square, Long Island City, NY 11101-4356 | Phone: 718-340-4200 Their scientists will collaborate with the Delivering Justice Project to determine the most appropriate DNA testing and analysis. This involved evaluating court documents, conducting investigations, presenting to a panel of academic and legal professionals, and devising a new method of archiving documents for the project. Although he did not pull the trigger and was actually nowhere near the shooting, he was charged under New Yorks controversial felony murder law and sentenced to 71 years to life. As a result . Wrongful Convictions | National Institute of Justice Even if he was not part of the review process, youre still asking a subordinate to make a finding about his superior., Conviction review units, said Sims, should not even be housed in prosecutors offices. The Wrongful Conviction Unit continues to grow in size and outreach since its inception in 2019. | translate }}, {{ "Is One Degree free? Exonerations in the United States Map - University of Michigan Law School The WCU played an integral role in bringing these convicted officers to their attention and demanding justice for our clients whose lives were impacted by these corrupt officers. Last year, a New York Supreme Court judge vacated his conviction and, several months later, the DAs office dismissed the charge. Wrongful convictions have likely always been present in Canada's criminal justice system to some degree. DECISION AND ORDER BRENDA K. SANNES Chief District Judge. Prior to joining the Legal Aid Society in 2016, David spent 10 years as the Managing Attorney at the Innocence Project, where he supervised attorneys working to exonerate innocent clients and spearheaded the organization's amicus curiae practice throughout the country. Thompson recruited Harvard professor and former public defender Ronald Sullivan to lead the units effortsbut Mark Hale, the prosecutor from Sims case, was charged with supervising the units day-to-day activities. Hopefully they will follow the lead of social media and start bringing more wrongful convictions to light. NYS Attorney Elizabeth Sack Felber The Legal Aid Society 199 Water St, New York, NY . To me that's just an inherent dual loyalty," said Elizabeth Felber, a supervising attorney at the Legal Aid Society's wrongful conviction unit. Motion to Disqualify Justice Jeffrey M. Winik, with Judicial Notice Wrongful Conviction Clinic. Thirty-four of those cases were linked to Detective Kevin Desormeau, who was convicted in 2018 for lying about an alleged cocaine sale in Jamaica, Queens. The Innocence Network is an coalition of organizations dedicated to providing pro bono legal and investigative services to individuals seeking to prove innocence of crimes for which they have been convicted, working to redress the causes of wrongful convictions, and supporting the exonerated after they are freed. In New York, most employers and agencies can only deny you a job or license because of your criminal conviction if theres a direct connection between the work and the offense or if giving you the job or license would involve an unreasonable risk to people or property. wcu@legal-aid.org. Shaun Cameron - Policy and Project Officer - LinkedIn A 1990 graduate . From 2014 until Thompsons death in the fall of 2016, Brooklyns unit exonerated 21 people. Before the murder, he said, I had everything going for me., I remember looking forward to coming home because my sons would hear me in a hallway, he said. Our services focus on providing support to survivors as they re-build after abuse. New York Focus The Wrongful Conviction Unit was created to address the population of prisoners who have exhausted all possible avenues of defense and are still fighting for their freedom. Read More. The Legal Aid Society is among the first state public defender organizations working in-house to explore our clients lives through video to convey their character, aspirations, traumas, difficulties, and often, transformation. A new head of the unit, Sims and his attorneys hope, will give his case a fair review. The Brooklyn cases originated from arrests that took place between 1999 and 2017. New York, NY 10038. With a backlog of 100+ potential clients, The Legal Aid Society will hire a Post-Graduate Fellow to work on the project, and the Defenders Clinic will add a paralegal. After three days of deliberations, the jury sent a note to the court saying that they were deadlocked. Elizabeth Felber - Supervising Att.. - Legal Aid Society | ZoomInfo 199 Water Street He said he forgave him years ago, during a family visit. This grant will provide us with vital support to expand our work as we train law students to reverse wrongful convictions and decarcerate our prisons. And in Manhattan, more than 140 ongoing cases and convictions that Mr. Franco was central to have also been tossed out. . I know in my heart and God knows that I am not capable of what I was convicted of, Sims said, according to a court transcript. Update (9/4): This article previously stated that the Brooklyn CRU exonerated seven people during DA Gonzalezs current tenure. New York, NY 10013 (Tribeca area) $73,868 - $78,030 a year. The Registry provides detailed information about every known exoneration in the United States since 1989cases in which a person was wrongly convicted of a crime and later cleared of all the charges based on new evidence of . Keisha and Kisha, along with Cooper and Collins, are championing Sims innocence. Identifying and understanding the causes of wrongful convictions is critical to maintaining the integrity of our justice system. Students in the Defenders Clinic advocate for transformative justice in the face of mass incarceration. Under a recent New York State law (CPL 160.59), some people may be able to get their criminal convictions sealed. Elizabeth Felber, a supervising attorney at the Legal Aid Society's wrongful convictions unit, thanked Katz, who is the first District Attorney in the city to seek to overturn convictions in . The collaboration between the Defenders Clinic and The Legal Aid Society's Wrongful Conviction Unit will help the next generation of social justice attorneys develop vital lawyering skills while increasing access to post-conviction legal representation. So its easy to sweep things under the rug, its easy to rubber stamp things., Sims was 24 when he was convicted. Although offered a scholarship to read engineering in the United States, he decided to take up medicine at University of . 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. On February 2, 2021, the New York legislature repealed the loitering for the purposes of prostitution statute, commonly called the Walking While Trans Ban. This means loitering for the purposes of prostitution is no longer a criminal offense in New York, and the records of past convictions should have been sealed automatically. The Legal Aid Society can assist with wrongful convictions, applications for commutation and pardon, and the sealing of past criminal records. After being in prison for three decades, he was finally granted clemency and released in early 2019. At a virtual hearing on Monday, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz successfully petitioned a judge to expunge 60 convictions linked to three NYPD officers who were found to have committed crimes and fabricated evidence in other cases in years past. He previously worked for WNYC and Gothamist, and has published stories with NPR, ProPublica, Esquire, and The Intercept among other outlets. How the Media Helps (and Hurts) Wrongfully Convicted Prisoners - HuffPost About Us. According to Sims and his attorneys, Hale committed additional misconduct when he failed to disclose that the Brooklyn DAs Office was paying for Graves and his family to enter a witness relocation program. Strong legal professional with a . All members of the Legal Aid community have a shared responsibility to support and comply with policies and protocols to protect the health and safety of our . 40 Worth Street, Suite 606. If you are innocent and have exhausted all appeals for a conviction in New York City, write to The Wrongful Conviction Unit and request our questionnaire to be considered for representation: The Wrongful Conviction Unit One of the social forces that convictions uses is the human need for safety and serving justice. 207 followers 207 connections. Sims also says he told all his appellate attorneys that he saw Graves commit the crime; h. is one surviving appellate attorney confirmed this to his current counsel. His then-wife, Kisha Sims, said she expected that he would be acquitted and had been planning a coming home party for him. Sims has since remarried, to his junior high girlfriend, Keisha Sims. The Worker Justice Project, an initiative of The Legal Aid Societys Criminal Defense Practice, combats discrimination faced by workers with arrest or conviction records living in New York City. 2023 Montclair State University. Legal Aid: NYPD must account for evidence destroyed in fire Christine Bella - Attorney - The Legal Aid Society Wrongful Conviction Visit Us. Get assistance overturning a wrongful conviction - The Legal Aid Society The Legal Aid Society's Juvenile Rights Practice (JRP) is hiring entry-level Staff Attorneys for a Fall 2023 class. All Rights Reserved, Wrongful Convictions, Appeals, Clemency & Sealing, Empowering People with Disability & Health Issues, Lifting the Voices of Children & Adolescents, Supporting Survivors of Violence & Navigating Divorce. One eyewitness, who knew both Sims and Graves, called police and told them that she saw Graves, not Sims, running out of the restaurant with a gun in his hand, according to a report by Graves fiancee. Anthony should not have to suffer further years in prison while a hearing and likely appeal wend their way through the legal system even as prosecutors possess evidence showing that Anthony belongs home today with his wife and kids.. Lawyers, scientists, and policy advocates speak on topics of interest to the defense communityeverything to basics of DNA transfer to Bayesian networks, to cross examination techniques to litigating trade secrets. The Legal Aid Society's Parole Revocation Defense Unit has an immediate opening for a Staff Attorney. We deliver justice in every borough, working tirelessly to make our city a better place. matter, or that someone stop behaving in a way that interferes with another . Alfonzo Riley, Case Handler (left), Elizabeth Felber, Supervising Attorney (center), Thomas McCall, Investigator (right), members of The Legal Aid Society Wrongful Conviction Unit. Criminal Defense Practice Investigative Intern - Summer 2023 Experienced Litigation Support Specialist with a demonstrated history of working in the legal services sector. Inside the restaurant, Sims says he saw Graves take out a small shotgun, point it at the cashier, Li Run Chen, and shoot. Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2023. There are many more men and women incarcerated in New York who I believe deserve clemency and who have moved toward transforming their lives from whatever moment or mistake that led to their incarceration, Riley said. In court filings and statements to the media, the Brooklyn DAs office has said Hale recused himself from reviewing Sims case. 2023 The Legal Aid Society. Address. Sims request to the CRU did not present any of the new claims that his attorneys have included in the current petition to vacate Sims conviction, including evidence of Hales misconduct and eyewitness testimony that Graves was the shooter. Nearly 200 convictions linked to discredited NYPD cops dismissed at The Criminal Appeals Bureau prepares commutation applications for eligible clients individuals with excellent institutional records who have served more than half of their minimum term and are more than a year away from parole eligibility. Graves did not respond to multiple requests for comment from New York Focus. Since 2015, the DNA Unit of the Legal Aid Society in New York City has held an annual, two-day forensic conference for defense attorneys called Questioning Forensics. New York, New York, United States . Citizens of society put their trust in the courts to keep communities safe. Criminal Law: Limited Information Available | Texas Law Help contribute to wrongful convictions, and the best practices that address these factors. ), what are the main parts of each system? View Case Acceptance Criteria. Elizabeth Felber, supervising attorney for the Legal Aid Societys Wrongful Conviction Unit, said she hopes the next head of the unit, Hales replacement, comes from the defense community, as has been the practice in other jurisdictions in New York, such as Queens and Westchester. 8th Annual Questioning Forensics Conference - legalaidnyc.org Rooms are limited and are available on first come first serve basis. Dr. James Grigson: The Man Called "Doctor Death" - Soapboxie Join us April 14-15, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ for two days of powerful plenary and breakout sessions. September 16, 2020 / David Brand / Communities, . The expungements are the result of a campaign by the Legal Aid Society, the Exoneration Project, and other organizations focused on overturning wrongful convictions, which asked prosecutors across the city in May to investigate cases involving 22 NYPD officers who were convicted of crimes at some point in their careers. Sims and his attorneys allege that police and prosecutors, including Hale, illegally suppressed evidence of Sims innocence and pressured witnessesincluding Gravesinto making false statements. f Case 1:20-cv-08924-CM Document 741 Filed 09/16/22 Page 43 of 43. a. award plaintiffs, and the members of the class they seek to represent, punitive. All Rights Reserved. Brooklyn Prosecutors Seek to Throw Out Scores of Convictions In statements to the press, the Brooklyn DAs office has claimed that Hale did not review Sims case. (Sullivan did not respond to a request for comment.). The site contains instructions and forms for applying for commutations and pardons. Visit website. Then, two days later, he told the court that he had, in fact, ordered the polygraph and helped formulate the questions, according to a transcript of the proceedings. In another case, Hale prosecuted Vladymir Campos, 22, for the 1997 murder of 16-year-old Felix Gonzalez. How can I contact you?" | translate }}, {{ "How do I add all the resources in my area?" In court, Katz promised that these expungements were just the beginning as her office continues to probe the work of the other officers tied to convictions in Queens. Our goal is to get them each to agree to vacate our clients convictions most of whom are serving life sentences. Research shows challenges to wrongful convictions have extremely low success rates; even defendants who were later exonerated by DNA evidence had their appeals rejected in more than 90 percent of cases, one study found.

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