It's been over 3 years since GIP & Innocence Project secured DNA testing of a rape kit that showed Ron Jacobsen's innocence. It's been 18 months since we helped overturn Ron's conviction. Yet Ron sits Newton County's jail awaiting a new trial, despite that he's already been wrongfully imprisoned for 30 years.

What does the presumption of innocence mean in Newton County, Georgia, on a case where the DA offered immediate release if Ron, who is indigent, would just please plead guilty? It means you sit in jail. For years. Even after DNA evidence excludes you from the rape kit, and even after the crime survivor originally asserted that you did not commit the crime. It means the local DA asks the judge for a $50,000 bail to keep you in jail, and the local Judge instead imposes TEN TIMES that: $500,000. It means the local bail bonding company stands to pocket roughly $55,000.

“Ron’s case is a complete tragedy and a travesty,” said Amanda Palmer, whose trial firm now represents Jacobsen pro bono with the IP. Click here if you'd like to contribute to a private (non-tax deductible) fundraiser to help free Ron Jacobsen to continue fighting for his innocence from beyond the jail cell: https://bit.ly/2G4NvSR

The NYPD's Strategic Response Group is the so-called anti-terrorism and protest tactical unit best known for its run-ins with protesters. As it turns out, many of the officers that comprise it are subjects of significant misconduct allegations.

Using videos from early June protests and two weeks of sustained clashes with demonstrators in September, The Appeal was able to identify 62 officers. Of those, 46 had complaint histories with the Civilian Complaint Review Board.

42 officers racked up 142 abuse of authority complaints. 35 were accused of excessive force, five had allegations of offensive language. And 14 supervisors had multiple misconduct allegations, including one with 32 complaints.

“You watch somebody die and it stays with you forever,” said Stan Allridge, who was captain of the football team, member of the honor society, on his way to college, and only 18 when he witnessed the first of two brothers executed by the state of Texas.

At his second brother's trial, jurors only had to answer whether the crime deliberate and the defendant posted a “future threat.” A yes to both mandated a death sentence, the possibility of rehabilitation didn’t matter.

Although “future dangerousness” was debunked in 1989 by extensive research, people convicted on the theory are still being put to death, like Billy Joe Wardlow, who was executed this July after a months-long pause due to COVID-19.

Amid a national reckoning over law enforcement misconduct and a recent ruling from the top court, prosecutors in Massachusetts are reexamining efforts to keep tabs on problem police officers.

According to records, district attorneys have identified at least 350 current and former officers with past accusations of lying and various types of misconduct. And just two weeks ago, a newly created watchlist of 136 current and former officers.

"If we have to keep this information from the public in order to preserve a perception that officers are categorically honest, that’s not serving the interest of justice."