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New Jersey Appellate Court Holds Defendant Entitled to Source Code of Novel Probabilistic Genotyping Software Upon Showing of Particularized Need

Article • April 15, 2021 • from CLN May, 2021

Filed under: junk science, EP2P Software

New Jersey Appellate Court Holds Defendant Entitled to Source Code of Novel Probabilistic Genotyping Software Upon Showing of Particularized Need by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney In a case of first impression, the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, held that when the State chooses to utilize an expert …

New Jersey Man Wrongly Arrested Due to Flawed Face Recognition Match

Article • March 15, 2021 • from CLN April, 2021

Filed under: Police State-Surveillance

New Jersey Man Wrongly Arrested Due to Flawed Face Recognition Match by Anthony Accurso by Anthony Accurso After being identified by faulty facial recognition software, a New Jersey man spent 10 days in jail and forfeited his savings to beat the charges. Nijeer Parks, 33, had two previous convictions for …

New Jersey Supreme Court Announces Adoption of Framework for Evaluating Discovery Motions Challenging Warrant Affidavits Based on Unidentified Confidential Informants

Article • March 15, 2021 • from CLN May, 2021

Filed under: Informants, New Trial Motions, Discovery

New Jersey Supreme Court Announces Adoption of Framework for Evaluating Discovery Motions Challenging Warrant Affidavits Based on Unidentified Confidential Informants by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The Supreme Court of New Jersey announced its adoption of the framework articulated by the California Supreme Court in People v. Luttenberger, 784 P.2d …

Report: Judicial System Gives Cops a Pass in New Jersey, Elsewhere

Article • December 15, 2020 • from CLN January, 2021

Filed under: Police Misconduct, Excessive Force (Police)

Report: Judicial System Gives Cops a Pass in New Jersey, Elsewhere by Michael Fortino, Ph.D by Michael Fortino, Ph.D. American law has a system of checks and balances to keep corruption and wrongdoing by those in power from overwhelming the system. When it comes to police misconduct, it seems there …

Witt v. County of Cumberland, NJ, Amended Complaint, Excessive Force, 2020

Brief • December 10, 2020

Filed under: Guard Brutality/Beatings

Witt v. County of Cumberland, NJ, Amended Complaint, Excessive Force, 2020 Case 1:20-cv-14678-KMW-MJS Document 15 Filed 12/10/20 Page 2 of 24 PageID: 81 Richard M. Pescatore, Esq. RICHARD M. PESCATORE, P.C. 1055 E. Landis Avenue Vineland, NJ 08360 Telephone: (856) 507-1000 Facsimile: (856) 507-1500 Email: rpescatore@pescatorelegal.com NJ Attorney ID: 021841985 …

N.J. Supreme Court Announces Defendant Has Right to Question Cooperating Witness About Plea Deal and Possible Sentence Exposure Even When Witness Faced Same Exposure as Defendant

Article • October 15, 2020 • from CLN November, 2020

Filed under: Cooperating Witnesses, Sentences Received, Cooperation Agreements

N.J. Supreme Court Announces Defendant Has Right to Question Cooperating Witness About Plea Deal and Possible Sentence Exposure Even When Witness Faced Same Exposure as Defendant by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The Supreme Court of New Jersey ruled that a defendant has a right to question a cooperating witness …

New Jersey Supreme Court: Juror Excused After Partial Verdict Requires Mistrial on Remaining Counts

Article • September 15, 2020 • from CLN October, 2020

Filed under: Mistrial Motion, Dismissal of Juror

New Jersey Supreme Court: Juror Excused After Partial Verdict Requires Mistrial on Remaining Counts by Dale Chappell by Dale Chappell The Supreme Court of New Jersey reaffirmed its rule that when a juror is excused after the jury has reached a verdict on some of the counts, but not others, …

News in Brief

Article • August 15, 2020 • from CLN September, 2020

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Arizona: Mariah Valenzuela has filed legal notices against the city of Phoenix and Maricopa County over Phoenix police officer Michael McGillis’ use of force during a January 16, 2020 traffic stop, abc15.com reports. The officer, driving a white van, stopped Valenzuela for allegedly veering across the …

After a Decade of Fighting, The Last Resort Exoneration Project Finally Frees Two Wrongfully Convicted of Murder

Article • August 15, 2020 • from CLN September, 2020

Filed under: Wrongful Conviction, Actual Innocence/Claim of Innocence, Ballistics Evidence/Testimony

After a Decade of Fighting, The Last Resort Exoneration Project Finally Frees Two Wrongfully Convicted of Murder by Michael Fortino, Ph.D by Michael Fortino, Ph.D. Kevin Baker and Sean Washington, having served nearly 25 years on a double murder sentence and facing life in prison, never gave up hope because …

Strategies to Help Police Address Citizens With Special Needs

Article • July 15, 2020 • from CLN August, 2020

Filed under: Disabled Prisoners, Police Department Manuals

Strategies to Help Police Address Citizens With Special Needs by Anthony Accurso by Anthony W. Accurso A New Jersey man reaches out to police ahead of a possible altercation to make sure authorities are aware of his son’s autism-related issues. Gary Weitzen’s son Christopher has autism. Christopher has anxiety issues, …

Department of Justice, Investigation of the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, 2020

Publication • 2020

Filed under: Staff-Prisoner Assault

Department of Justice, Investigation of the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, 2020 INVESTIGATION OF THE EDNA MAHAN CORRECTIONAL FACILITY FOR WOMEN (UNION TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY) United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division United States Attorney’s Office District of New Jersey April, 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. SUMMARY............................................................................................................ 1 …

Executive Order 124, NJ, COVID-19 Release, 2020

Publication • April 10, 2020

Filed under: COVID-19

Executive Order 124, NJ, COVID-19 Release, 2020 EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 124 WHEREAS, on March 9, 2020, through Executive Order No. 103 (2020), the facts and circumstances of which are adopted by reference herein, I declared both a Public Health Emergency and a State of Emergency throughout the State due to …

New Jersey Tightens Reins on Civil Asset Forfeiture

Article • March 18, 2020 • from CLN April, 2020

Filed under: Forfeiture

New Jersey Tightens Reins on Civil Asset Forfeiture by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney In following a trend among the states, New Jersey has passed legislation designed to rein in the abuse of civil asset forfeiture. On January 13, 2020, the Democratic-controlled Senate passed a bill requiring a criminal conviction …

NJ Supreme Court: Confession not Voluntary Where Police Tell Suspect Truth Would Set Him Free, Promise Him Counseling Instead of Jail, and Minimize Seriousness of Offenses

Article • December 18, 2019 • from CLN January, 2020

Filed under: Police Misconduct, Police

NJ Supreme Court: Confession not Voluntary Where Police Tell Suspect Truth Would Set Him Free, Promise Him Counseling Instead of Jail, and Minimize Seriousness of Offenses by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The Supreme Court of New Jersey held that a confession is not voluntary when police induce a suspect …

New Jersey Supreme Court Announces New Test to Determine When State May Obtain Second DNA Sample After Unlawfully Obtained First Sample

Article • October 15, 2019 • from CLN November, 2019

Filed under: DNA Testing/Samples

New Jersey Supreme Court Announces New Test to Determine When State May Obtain Second DNA Sample After Unlawfully Obtained First Sample by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The Supreme Court of New Jersey rejected the “inevitable discovery doctrine” as being “a poor fit” for determining whether a second DNA sample …

New Jersey Supreme Court: Prosecution May Appeal Drug Court Sentence Only When Sentence Is Illegal

Article • August 19, 2019 • from CLN September, 2019

Filed under: Sentencing

New Jersey Supreme Court: Prosecution May Appeal Drug Court Sentence Only When Sentence Is Illegal by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The Supreme Court of New Jersey held that the State cannot appeal a “special probation Drug Court sentence” unless the sentence is illegal. Susan Hyland was driving drunk when …

NJ DOC Inmate Telephone Rates 2019

Kickback publication • August 14, 2019

Filed under: Telephones, Telephone Access, Telephone Rates, Attorney Calls, Telephone Monitoring, Cell Phone Access

NJ DOC Inmate Telephone Rates 2019 8/14/2019 Select Language NJDOC Inmate Telephone System Information Translate Powered by (After making a selection translation will being. This may take a few seconds) AgriIndustries Home Inmate Telephone System Information About Us Frequently Asked Questions Contact Us Escapes Offender Search Engine Offender Visit Restrictions …

HRDC comment on prison visitation rule change in New Jersey

Publication • July 3, 2019

Filed under: Video Visitation, HRDC Publications

HRDC comment on prison visitation rule change in New Jersey Human Rights Defense Center DEDICATED TO PROTECTING HUMAN RIGHTS July 3, 2019 Kathleen Cullen Administrative Rules Unit Office of the Commissioner P.O. Box 863 Trenton, New Jersey 08625 Re: Proposal Number: PRN 2019-051 Dear Ms. Cullen, The Human Rights Defense …

Issue #9 From The Inside Out, Prison Watch, 2019

Publication • July 1, 2019

Filed under: Juveniles, Failure to Protect (Juveniles), Juvenile Prisons

Issue #9 From The Inside Out, Prison Watch, 2019 89 Market Street, 6th Floor | Newark, NJ 07102 | 973-643-1924 “FROM THE INSIDE OUT” This report was created by Program Director Bonnie Kerness (973-410-3978/ bkerness@afsc.org), Interns Yajedah (Jada) West and Demecis Matias, and with further assistance from Ojore Lutalo. Both …

Another Life Ruined as a Result of a Bad Cop and Failure to Follow Policy

Article • June 17, 2019 • from CLN July, 2019

Filed under: Police Misconduct, Police

Another Life Ruined as a Result of a Bad Cop and Failure to Follow Policy by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney Michael Ryan spent 29 years of his life dedicated to instructing the youth of Hammonton Public Schools. Instead of a retirement party and send off, he was suspended and …