Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Grants Habeas Relief in ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’ Case by Sam Rutherford by Sam Rutherford The Criminal Court of Appeals of Texas, the state’s highest court in criminal cases, granted a prisoner’s habeas corpus petition based on advances in science that undermined the validity of evidence …

Wisconsin District Attorneys’ Police Brady Lists Often Secret, Incomplete, or Nonexistent by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke Wisconsin Watch disclosed that its investigation into Wisconsin District Attorneys’ police Brady lists found that many had no Brady list while others had lists that appeared to be incomplete or refused to disclose …

Auditor of the State of California, the Child Abuse Central Index, May 2022 The Child Abuse Central Index The Unreliability of This Database Puts Children at Risk and May Violate Individuals’ Rights May 2022 REPORT 2021‑112 IMAGE PENDING CALIFORNIA STATE AUDITOR 621 Capitol Mall, Suite 1200 | Sacramento | CA …

Connecticut Supreme Court: Trial Court Abused Discretion by Limiting Self-Represented Defendant’s Direct Examination Regarding Risk of Injury to a Child by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke The Supreme Court of Connecticut held that a trial court erred when it limited the testimony of a self-represented defendant in a trial for …

Dangers of Data Gathering by Los Angeles Police Department by Edward Lyon by Ed Lyon For decades, officers with California’s Los Angeles Police Department (“LAPD”) have utilized Field Information Cards (“FIC”) for reference whenever they interact with citizens. This contact may take the form of a traffic stop whether or …

National Institute of Justice Funds Research to Differentiate Injuries Caused by Child Abuse from Accidental Injuries by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke Child abuse is the leading cause of trauma-related deaths in children. In 2017, around 3.5 million children were referred to social services due to reports of abuse and …