This Week in Innocence News – August 18, 2017

Here are some of this week’s news highlights:

Ohio should expunge DNA samples from innocent people
In Ohio, law enforcement is allowed to collect a person’s DNA upon arrest for a serious crime. But what happens to the DNA if that person ultimately isn’t convicted? Justice advocates and defense attorneys in Ohio say that the DNA records for those innocent individuals should be expunged. Read more

Film About Brooklyn Exoneree Premiers in New York
A film based on the wrongful conviction of a Brooklyn man will premiere this week at the Independent Film Center in Manhattan. Crown Heights depicts the plight of exoneree Collin Warner, who spent more than two decades in prison for a 1980 murder he did not commit. Read more

People facing jail time for misdemeanors in Nashville denied attorneys
A new report released by the American Bar Association reveals that the constitutional right to counsel is commonly violated in Nashville’s misdemeanor courts. Read more

Former prosecutor discusses criminal justice reform
Former Boston assistant district attorney Adam Foss spoke with Steve Kraske on KCUR’s Up to Date about the role prosecutors can play in reforming the criminal justice system. Read more