legal aid society wrongful conviction unit legal aid society wrongful conviction unit

Then, he was unmasked as a quack. 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. 5. Hale then obtained a material witness order for Graves fiance as well, even though she was never called to testify at trial. Emergency services Emergency financial assistance Medical emergency Mental health emergency . The partnership between CUNY Law and the Legal Aid Society is symbiotic: The Legal Aid Society increases the capacity of their client services; experienced attorneys learn about clinical teaching and supervision in an academic setting, and students are exposed to the most current and specialized practice approaches. 9, 2019). Book now. Anyone can read what you share. New York Focus Rooms are limited and are available on first come first serve basis. | translate }}, {{ "Is One Degree free? We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Nobody is currently incarcerated as a result of these convictions, and none of the 13 officers involved in the cases remain on the force. If you are looking to donate, get involved, or get assistance, find and connect to your local Network organization here. No physical evidence linked Sims to the crime. Eric Gonzalez, right, the Brooklyn district attorney, in 2020. The Corporate Lawyer Moonlighting as a New York Assemblymember. Despite his obligation to correct false testimony by witnesses, Hale did not challenge Graves claims. So its easy to sweep things under the rug, its easy to rubber stamp things., Sims was 24 when he was convicted. Of the Brooklyn cases, 331 were misdemeanor convictions and 47 were felonies. The Legal Aid Society's Parole Revocation Defense Unit has an immediate opening for a Staff Attorney. 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. In April 2021, Mr. Gonzalez asked the court to dismiss 90 convictions involving Mr. Franco. Convicted but innocent: wrongful conviction and . 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. Yet, when he appeared at trial, Graves testified that he was in court voluntarily and that he regularly checked in with his probation officer. All Rights Reserved. Additionally, each year, the Defenders Clinic hosts an experienced attorney on leave from The Legal Aid Society as a Fellow and Supervising Attorney. Im sure that some day all of it will be exposed and many people will have their day in court again.. Please register prior to March 10th. The Clinic frequently works with the Criminal Trials, Appeals and Case Closed units of The Legal Aid Society. Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member and writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Collins was wrongfully convicted in 1995 in Brooklyn; his. Individuals who believe they qualify for clemency should apply online with the Governors Office. The average condemned person spends six-and-a-half years on Death Row as their case . 4 The National Registry of Exonerations, "Basic Patterns" (Nov. 2016). he did not see who shot the victim and did not know who did. Visit Our Campus Discovering our campus is a breeze, whether you're a high-schooler thinking about attending DU, an admitted student learning your way around, or a teacher or counselor setting up a group visit. CUNY Law was one of 13 recipients of this national competitive bid. Hes now 46. Defense attorneys point to Hales control of the unit as a key reason for the slow pace of exonerations, New York Focus and The Appeal reported in May. These positions require . Visit website. As the Court has obviously seen, I have nobody else that has said that, Hale told the court. Alfonzo Riley, Case Handler (left), Elizabeth Felber, Supervising Attorney (center), Thomas McCall, Investigator (right), members of The Legal Aid Society Wrongful Conviction Unit. | translate }}, {{ 'Find and save resources 24/7 from anywhere' | translate }}, {{ 'Get the free One Degree App. 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 The Legal Aid Society is built upon one simple but powerful belief that no New Yorker should be denied the right to equal justice. Another 20 were tossed because they hinged on the work of Detective Sasha Cordoba, who pleaded guilty in 2018 after prosecutors found she made repeated false statements in a gun possession case in Washington Heights in Manhattan. 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. When a crime occurs, the person is considered a danger to society. They dont want to hurt their friends or make their friends look bad. 2023 The Legal Aid Society. However, three days into the trial, Hale told the judge that Graves was nowhere to be found and asked for a material witness order, which allows law enforcement to take a witness into custody to ensure that they appear in court. At trial, the States star witness was Graves, who testified that Sims had shot the victim. We are excited that this collaboration with the Wrongful Conviction Unit will provide more access to legal advocacy for incarcerated New Yorkers, while also growing CUNY Laws relationship with the Legal Aid Society, one of our closest partners, said Nicole Smith Futrell, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Defenders Clinic. For Elizabeth Felber, the director of the Legal Aid Society's Wrongful Conviction Unit, . Read our cookies policies here. Hale had a record of alleged prosecutorial misconduct dating back to the 1990s. When Anthony Jr. was about eight years old, Sims recalled, he told his father that he would get Graves for what he had done. Another 78 cases on the prosecutors list arose from two detectives, Edward Martins and Richard Hall, who pleaded guilty in 2019 to charges that they released an 18-year-old woman from custody in exchange for sexual favors. Browse All Categories; Urgent. I expected the CRU to interview me, which would give me a chance to answer their questions and give a detailed account of seeing Julius shoot the victim., The CRU did not contact Sims to learn more about his claims. Tainted Testimony. Criminology 40(1): 1-18; Huff C, Rattner A & Sagarin E 1986. At the Legal Aid Society of Westchester County, Sherry concentrates her practice on Criminal Defense. 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. It is free and automatic. The Legal Aid Society can assist with wrongful convictions, applications for commutation and pardon, and the sealing of past criminal records. The bottom line is that the D.A.s Office is fighting to uphold Anthonys conviction despite overwhelming evidence that Anthony is innocent and never received a fair trial, said his attorney, Jonathan Hiles. Donate. 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. A new head of the unit, Sims and his attorneys hope, will give his case a fair review. It reflects a broader push to scrutinize police testimony and a recognition of the catastrophic effects that even misdemeanor convictions can have on people. 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. . Enough is Enough: Combating Sexual Misconduct | Notice of Non-Discrimination | Legal Notices | CUNY Copyright | Text Only View | Identifying and understanding the causes of wrongful convictions is critical to maintaining the integrity of our justice system. In a trial that Sims and his attorneys say was marred by false testimony and improperly withheld evidence, Sims was convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life. The 60 cases dismissed last fall by Melinda Katz, the Queens district attorney, were based on the work of three former detectives. But we know that wrongful convictions happen. Whether it be financially or safety, they are putting themselves in a position of mistrust. On Wednesday, Eric Gonzalez, the district attorney in Brooklyn, asked a state judge to vacate the first 15 convictions under his purview, all of which involved felonies and several of which resulted in prison time, according to the prosecutors office and the Legal Aid Society. The gun used in the murder was kept in the apartment where Graves lived. Lastly David heads Legal Aid's Wrongful Conviction Unit. In fact, Hale told the jury during closing arguments: Now you heard the summation of the defense Mr. Tims [Sim defense attorney] wants you to believe that Julius Graves is the perpetrator of this crime.. Legal Services NYC Website. {{ 'All my collections' | translate }} {{ 'Resources for Pro members' | translate }}, {{ 'Free marketing materials' | translate }}, {{ 'Frequently Asked Questions' | translate }}, {{ 'And x more' | translate: { count: (tagsWithinArea.length - 4)} }}, {{ "Add or edit resources" | translate }}, {{ 'Community Learning Hub' | translate }}, 2023 One Degree, {{ 'a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.' A hearing before Chun is scheduled for next month. Admission & Aid Overview; Undergraduate Admission; While working to seek exoneration of our clients, we have successfully advocated for the release of incarcerated clients who have gone before the parole board but maintained their innocence. Prior to joining the Legal Aid Society, Sherry was Of Counsel Bashian P.C. The WCU is also currently collaborating with private firms and criminal justice advocates, such as Jeffrey Deskovic and Derrick Hamilton. Browse 8 NEW YORK CITY, NY WRONGFUL CONVICTION jobs from companies (hiring now) with openings. Founded in 1992 by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, the Innocence Project works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone. The Legal Aid Society is grateful and honored to partner with CUNY School of Law in this endeavor, and we look forward to making more of a difference in the lives of New Yorkers and communities that we serve.. I never got a chance to tell my story, Sims told New York Focus. The total is expected to rise to 496. but did not discuss the year that she supervised the Conviction Review Unit before the Bureau was created. New York, NY 10013. But the CRUs preliminary review may have been undermined by a fundamental conflict of interest: Mark Hale, who led the unit from its creation in January 2014 until July of this year, was the lead prosecutor in Sims murder trial. The next day, the jury acquitted Sims of intentional murder and convicted him of depraved indifference murder. 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 . Our services focus on providing support to survivors as they re-build after abuse. It has assisted 75 people with parole and clemency applications of which 25 are now home. {{ "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!' In January of 2021, two attorneys joined the WCU: CUNY Law alum Antonia Codling 90 and Christine Bella. Canada's long history of processes intended to rectify . A conviction may be classified as wrongful for two reasons: wcu@legal-aid.org. The NYC health commissioner explains how City Hall plans to support supervised injection sites and other portions of a new initiative to reduce overdose deaths 15% by 2025. Legal Aid has secured a group discount at Aloft Long Island City. Riley also believes that there are many others who deserve the second chance that he received. Experienced Litigation Support Specialist with a demonstrated history of working in the legal services sector. 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. Provided direct support to NYC Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner - former long-time attorney-in-chief of NYC Legal Aid Society - including assisting with City Hall and senior staff . Job Description The Legal Aid Society's Parole Revocation Defense Unit has an immediate opening for a Staff Attorney. The 378 cases mostly low-level drug and traffic offenses relied on the work of 13 police officers who were later convicted of crimes. Alfonzo Riley, a paralegal in The Legal Aid Society's Wrongful Conviction Unit, was recently profiled by The Appeal.. Riley was incarcerated for his role in a 1988 drug deal that ended in a homicide. Join to connect . NYS Attorney Elizabeth Sack Felber The Legal Aid Society 199 Water St, New York, NY . Click here for a schedule of events and list of speakers. Copyright 2022 The City University of New York School of Law | 2 Court Square, Long Island City, NY 11101-4356 | Phone: 718-340-4200 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. Earlier this year, Graves told the Daily News that Sims killed the victim. The audience is typically ~100-200 defense attorneys from around the United States. Tenant/landlord issues. The Legal Aid Society 4.3. Mr. Bowens, now 56, was the central police officer in 134 of the cases that the Brooklyn prosecutors aim to dismiss. Wrongful Convictions, Appeals, Clemency & Sealing, Empowering People with Disability & Health Issues, Lifting the Voices of Children & Adolescents, Supporting Survivors of Violence & Navigating Divorce. These convictions continue to hang around people and impact them in all kinds of ways, Mr. Gonzalez said. Access to legal aid translates into access to justice for the poor, the marginalized, and the disadvantaged. They almost do more damage in terms of eroding peoples trust and confidence in the system.. 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 new head of Brooklyns Conviction Review Unit should be someone with no prior connection to the office, in order to avoid any conflicts of loyalty or unconscious bias, Felber told New York Focus in a statement. If you have a maximum of two convictions (one of which is a felony) that are more than 10 years old, you may be eligible to apply for sealing and representation in your application. In court filings and statements to the media, the Brooklyn DAs office has said Hale recused himself from reviewing Sims case. Under a recent New York State law (CPL 160.59), some people may be able to get their criminal convictions sealed. 212-577-3300. The move is part of an expansive effort by prosecutors across the city to review cases, even decades old, that involved discredited police officers. For Scandal-Plagued For-Profit Colleges, No State Is More Welcoming Than New York. This is why our office consented to a hearing that would allow Mr. Sims to argue his claim of innocence before a judge, including a new contention, not made in previous motions, that his good friend was the alleged perpetrator and then conspired to frame him., But at trial, Sims defense counsel said that Graves, not Sims, was the perpetrator. | translate}}, {{ "Select a category below to get started" | translate }}, {{ "Total resources added across time" | translate }}, {{ "Number of resources viewed in the past year" | translate }}, {{ "Community contributors" | translate }}, {{ "Want some help? Montclair State University. PHOTO CREDIT: Eagle Photo by Noah Goldberg. Brooklyn prosecutors are seeking to throw out 378 criminal convictions mostly low-level drug and traffic offenses, dating to 1999 that relied on 13 former New York Police Department officers who were later convicted of crimes related to their work. Marijuana Legalization in New York is effective as of March 31, 2021. Historically, the parole boards routinely denied parole to people who maintained their innocence because they were not accepting responsibility for crimes they did not commit. 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. He said he forgave him years ago, during a family visit. About 100 convictions were allowed to stand, prosecutors said, after the office determined that other corroborating evidence existed aside from the officers testimony. ), what are the main parts of each system? The Clinic has had tremendous success in securing parole release and sentence commutation. Keith Brown makes $142,000 representing his Long Island district and about half a million representing corporate real estate interests. Alfonzo Riley, a paralegal in TheLegal Aid Societys Wrongful Conviction Unit, was recently profiled by The Appeal. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. The Defenders Clinics new grant-funded wrongful conviction project will build on the expertise developed through its parole and clemency work, add forensic evidence investigation to its post-conviction practice and deepen a long-standing partnership with The Legal Aid Society. Chao Tzee Cheng was the son of a professor in cultural studies and a school principal.Of Cantonese origin, he later migrated to Singapore with his parents and received his education at Catholic High School and Victoria Continuation School. After taking office in 2014, Thompson expanded the Conviction Review Unit, fulfilling a. people from across the country. In April, the CRU also moved to vacate 90 convictions based on the testimony of disgraced NYPD narcotics detective Joseph Franco. 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. Three weeks later, all his charges were dropped. 5 The National Registry of Exonerations, "Exonerations in 2018" (Apr. 2023 New York Public Radio. Get familiar with some legal terms and acronyms you might hear like appeal, adjournment, petition, jurisdiction, deposition, and affidavit. In the fall of 2017, The Legal Aid Society launched The Womens Pretrial Release Initiative (The Initiative). When questioned by the trial judge after the witnesss outburst, Hale initially denied any knowledge of a lie detector test. pay $21,500 to each of hundreds of demonstrators, shows that the Police Department paid $121 million. Join us April 14-15, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ for two days of powerful plenary and breakout sessions. Legal Services NYC. (c) Comstock, Thinkstock, royalty-free ( see reuse policy ). Paralegal II - Wrongful Conviction Unit at Legal Aid Society New York City Metropolitan Area. 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. Hale was the trial prosecutor. Cooper was imprisoned for the 1992 murder of a subway token clerk. Legal Aid Society . Hale disclosed none of this to Coopers defense counsel, according to Coopers civil complaint. Students from the clinic have teamed up on our cases and the forensic scientists routinely consult on forensic science issues. Clemency. 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 . Citizens of society put their trust in the courts to keep communities safe. 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. | Brooklyn DA. Click here to learn more and register. This wasnt the only leverage the prosecution had against Graves. 2023 The Legal Aid Society. | translate }}. In fact, Hale told the jury during closing arguments: Now you heard the summation of the defense Mr. Tims [Sim defense attorney] wants you to believe that Julius Graves is the perpetrator of this crime., In Sims 2016 letter to the CRUwhich he wrote himself, without legal counselhe said that he was innocent and included Graves recantation, but did not say he had witnessed Graves kill the victim. 207 followers 207 connections. | translate }}, {{ "How do I save resources on the app?" However, in 1994, Hunt's legal team filed for DNA testing. Content may not be reproduced without permission. Their scientists will collaborate with the Delivering Justice Project to determine the most appropriate DNA testing and analysis. George covers Brooklyn for THE CITY with a focus on criminal justice and housing. The loss of that evidence could affect cases and people The Legal Aid Society represents who may have been wrongly convicted. View Case Acceptance Criteria. 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. As a result, the Unit has been able to take on more clients, reinvestigate their cases and advocate for their exoneration and release. | The Legal Aid Society is the nation's oldest and largest provider of legal services to the indigent. matter, or that someone stop behaving in a way that interferes with another . Each summer the WCU will host two CUNY Law students who will receive paid public interest internships. There is nothing that you need to do to make this happen. Provided at no cost, it protects those who do not have the means to defend their rights in the criminal justice system: the detained, arrested or imprisoned; those suspected, accused of, or charged with a criminal offence; and victims . In 2013, controversy over Hynes tactics helped Kenneth Thompson defeat Hynes. They rejected him. Lorenzo Johnson served 16 and a half years of a life-without-parole sentence, from 1995 to 2012, when the Third Circuit Federal Court . Defense attorneys point to Hales control of the unit as a key reason for the slow pace of exonerations, New York Focus and The Appeal. Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Interpreter Must Show Evidence of Fees in Same Geographic Area. 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. 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). The expertise of renowned forensic scientists at the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science, with decades of experience in post-conviction work will enhance this collaboration. Sims has since remarried, to his junior high girlfriend, Keisha Sims. Today, DNA testing has developed to a point where reinvestigation, reanalysis, or retesting of biological evidence can help prove innocence. SCOTUS Rejects J&J's Appeal of $302M Deceptive Marketing Penalty. but that police had threatened to charge him with Chens murder unless he testified against Sims. Yet, when he appeared at trial, Graves testified that he was in court voluntarily and that he regularly checked in with his probation officer.