Law enforcement and Innocence Projects

From the Legal Director:

Working with Law Enforcement to Get it Right

Greetings!

We at the Project want to make sure that you and all of our supporters are kept up to date on what we're doing. To do that, we've committed to putting out bi-monthly newsletters as our way of sharing information. We so appreciate your support, and want to make sure you feel a part of what we're doing.

This month, we focus on how we work to prevent innocent people from being convicted. Since we cannot do that on our own we partner with police and prosecutors across the Commonwealth to support their efforts to improve investigations, like changing how they run photo arrays and lineups.

While some question how we work together while fighting in court over individual cases, as Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman says, "I like that the people on "opposite sides" agree on smart practices."

We are so grateful for your support and hope you enjoy receiving these updates from time to time. You can get more up to date information

by following us on social media through Facebook, Twitter, and our blog.

Sincerely,
Marissa

Legal Director

"Getting Guilty Convictions Right" - an Event to Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Tuesday January 22, Legal Director Marissa Bluestine will participate in a discussion with Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman and Philadelphia Police Captain Fran Healy on how law enforcement is working to improve investigations.

The event, sponsored by the Jewish Social Policy Action Network and the Cheltenham Area Branch of the NAACP, will be at Arcadia University in Glenside in the Commons Great Room. No advance registration needed; the program goes from 7 - 9 pm. Celebrated journalist E. Steven Collins, host of Philly Speaks on Radio One, will moderate.

For more information, visit our Facebook page.

Philadelphia Police Looking to Lead on Eyewitness Identification Reforms

Last month, the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and the Philadelphia Police Department held a seminar attended by over 150 Captains, Lieutenants, and Commanders of the Philadelphia Police Department. The program brought together seasoned law enforcement and national experts to present proven developments in the police techniques of photographic and live eyewitness identification.

Commissioner Charles Ramsey, who attended the training, told those gathered that Philadelphia is going to change, and will adopt best-evidence based eyewitness identification protocols during his tenure. Those will likely include lineups run by someone who does not know the suspect's identity ("Blind administration") and presenting photos to a witness one at a time, rather than all at once ("Sequential presentation"). When it does, Philadelphia will become the largest law enforcement agency to date to adopt these procedures.

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Mission of Pennsylvania Innocence Project

The Pennsylvania Innocence Project works to exonerate those convicted of crimes they did not commit and to prevent innocent people from being convicted.