I was honored to be asked to go to Atlanta to represent the University of California Irvine Innocence Project there. We learned the latest in the science of forensics, including DNA, matching latent prints and determining whether fires were arson. A few years ago the National Science Foundation published a great report debunking a lot of bad science and suggesting ways to help judges understand what evidence should be admitted. Judges are coming around. Slowly.
A very emotional highlight of the conference was the introduction of 64 exonorees. These men and women, black, white, hispanic and asian, had been convicted and the Innocence Project proved they were innocent. This is generally done with DNA. I talked to two of them at length. The photo here with me and one fellow is Juan who was one month away from being executed. The photo with four of us is a mother with her son and daughter. The son was convicted of a rape murder in upstate NY and served twenty years, with his mother visiting him every Saturday. She learned about the Innocence Project, contacted Barry Scheck, and got the evidence tested for DNA. Science proved it wasn't him. The story is very dramatic. They are a typical middle class family with college educations doing everything right. The story should be turned into a movie.
I got to meet Barry Scheck and some other hardworking talented people. Thank you UCI for sending me.
