Innocence Blog

February 22, 2007

James Waller on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360

Watch Anderson Cooper 360 tonight on CNN for a report on James Waller, a Dallas man who has been proven innocent by DNA testing. Waller was convicted in 1983 and released on parole after serving 10 years. He continued the struggle to prove his innocence while on parole and registered as a sex offender.

The segment, which includes an interview with Innocence Project Co-Director Barry Scheck, is expected to air between 10 p.m. and midnight tonight.

Vermont criminal justice reforms move forward

After a preliminary vote of support from the Judiciary Committee, a bill that would implement critical criminal justice reforms in Vermont will likely move to the full Senate on Friday. The bill would provide a system for convicted people to seek DNA testing that can prove their innocence. It also provides for evidence preservation and the compensation of exonerated people.

"I think this is one of the most important bills which will come out of the Judiciary Committee, or any committee, in this building this year," said Sen. Richard Sears, D-Bennington. Having said that "I hope it is never used," Sears added.
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One of the most compelling pieces of testimony the committee heard was from Dennis Maher, who spent 19 years in prison after being convicted of rape and other charges from an attack in Lowell, Mass. Maher continued proclaiming his innocence throughout his prison sentence, until his conviction was overturned in 2003.

Read the full story here. (Rutland Herald, 02/22/07)

Maher and Innocence Project Policy Director Stephen Saloom testified in favor of the bill at hearings earlier this month. If this measure becomes law in Vermont, it will become the 42nd state with a DNA access provision and the 22nd with a compensation law. Click here for a national view of criminal justice reforms.

Read more about Dennis Maher’s case.

Read the Innocence Project press release on the Vermont legislation.

Model criminal justice reform legislation.

Exoneree Alan Newton focuses on education

Innocence Project client Alan Newton was exonerated in 2006 after serving 21 years in 12 New York prisons for a rape he didn’t commit. He had studied in prison, collecting nearly enough credits for an undergraduate degree, and now he is finishing that degree at Medgar Evers College with the help of a scholarship from the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. He is also working as a counselor with the Male Development and Empowerment Center, a CUNY group aimed at encouraging men to enroll in college and finish.

“I couldn’t expect anyone to carry my torch,” Newton says. “When you go to people for help, you have to show them what you are doing for yourself before they help you.”
Newton’s counseling experience thus far has led him to conclude that the biggest obstacle Black male students face in college is lack of resources and distractions. “In prison, there was nothing to do but study.” But it’s hard to imagine anything stopping him now.
“I use myself as an example of how you can overcome anything,” Newton says. “They may have a criminal conviction or low SAT scores, but I encourage them and tell them, ‘School will encourage your growth.’ I say, ‘Enjoy school, and do it while you’re young.’”
Read the full story here. (Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, 02/22/07)