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Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts share the stories of men and women who have spent decades in prison for crimes they did not commit. Some of them had even been sentenced to death. These are stories about tragedy, triumph, unequal justice and actual innocence.

Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - Tommy Ward

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 1.8K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 24:34

He thought the police would recognize this was just a dream, not reality. Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin bring us a story from Ada, Oklahoma where a young woman went missing.  A few months after her disappearance, a man named Tommy Ward told police that he’d had a bad dream about her murder. Incredibly, the police took that dream and turned it into a false confession... and into a prison sentence that continues to this day, 35 years later. Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 A portion of this podcast series’ proceeds will be donated to the Center on Wrongful Convictions. To donate, learn more, or get involved, go to http://www.centeronwrongfulconvictions.org/ Learn more and get involved at https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com/false-confessions

Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - Ray McCann

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 1.9K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 29:30

These police were willing to sacrifice one of their own just to close a case. Laura and Steve tell us the story of a Michigan murder case with an unusual suspect: a small-town police officer named Ray McCann. After Ray helped investigate the disappearance of a little girl, he was wrongfully accused of her murder. In pursuit of their only suspect, police turned Ray’s whole life into an interrogation room. Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 A portion of this podcast series’ proceeds will be donated to the Center on Wrongful Convictions. To donate, learn more, or get involved, go to http://www.centeronwrongfulconvictions.org/ Learn more and get involved at https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com/false-confessions

Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - Eric Weakley and Michael Hash

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 1.4K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 33:44

Michael was serving a life sentence until one person came to his rescue: his mom. Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin bring us to Culpeper County, Virginia, to tell the story of teenage buddies Eric Weakley and Michael Hash. Local police solved a murder case by coercing Eric into falsely confessing and into falsely implicating his friend Michael as an accomplice. For years, lawyers couldn’t get justice for either of them -- until Michael’s mom found evidence that blew this case wide open. If you want to support Eric Weakley’s pardon petition, you can write to the governor of Virginia. Governor Ralph E. Northam Use the email form at: https://www.governor.virginia.gov/constituent-services/communicating-with-the-governors-office/ Write a letter to: Governor Ralph E. Northam P.O. Box 1475 Richmond, VA 23218 Call: 804-786-2211 Secretary of the Commonwealth Kelly Thomasson Email to: pardons@governor.virginia.gov Write a letter to: Secretary of the Commonwealth Kelly Thomasson P.O. Bo 2454 Richmond, Virginia 23218 Call: 804-692-2542 Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 A portion of this podcast series’ proceeds will be donated to the Center on Wrongful Convictions. To donate, learn more, or get involved, go to http://www.centeronwrongfulconvictions.org/ Learn more and get involved at https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com/false-confessions

Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - Ricky Davis

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 1.7K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 32:47

One woman was forced to talk, the other was not allowed. Both were powerless. Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin tell you about a California man named Ricky Davis. In 1985, Ricky and his girlfriend, Connie, found their roommate brutally stabbed to death. Without any leads, the case went cold for 14 years until detectives convinced Connie that she had repressed memories of Ricky committing the crime. Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 A portion of this podcast series’ proceeds will be donated to the Center on Wrongful Convictions. To donate, learn more, or get involved, go to http://www.centeronwrongfulconvictions.org/ Learn more and get involved at https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com/false-confessions

Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science - Shaken Baby Syndrome

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 1.4K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 37:34

In the final episode of the season, Josh Dubin explores Shaken Baby Syndrome with Kate Judson, Executive Director for the Center for Integrity in Forensic Sciences. Shaken Baby Syndrome isn’t a fool proof diagnosis. There are in fact many other causes for the symptoms of Shaken Baby Syndrome that do not arise from intentionally shaking a baby at all. Learn more and get involved. http://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com/junk-science Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 and PRX.

Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science - Eyewitness Testimony

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 1.9K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 35:39

Josh Dubin discusses Eyewitness Testimony with renowned psychologist Elizabeth Loftus, a professor at the University of California, Irvine. She studies human memory, specifically the malleability of memory, a huge factor in cases where eyewitness testimony is used as evidence. It turns out that memories, just like other forms of evidence, can be manipulated, contaminated, and planted. Learn more and get involved. http://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com/junk-science Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 and PRX.

Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - Emerson Stevens

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 1.3K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 31:09

Sometimes when detectives can't get a confession they'll settle for a something else Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin explore the story of Emerson Stevens, a fisherman from Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay. When a young mother was found murdered, it seemed all the evidence pointed to Emerson, until the case fell apart. Emerson survived 31 years in prison with the help of an ally from across the bay. Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 Learn more and get involved at https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com/false-confessions To support Emerson Stevens’ request for an Absolute Pardon contact the Governor of Virginia's office and the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office. The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office investigates the requests while the Governor grants or denies the requests. Governor Ralph E. Northam Use the email form at: https://www.governor.virginia.gov/constituent-services/communicating-with-the-governors-office/ Write a letter to: Governor Ralph E. Northam P.O. Box 1475 Richmond, VA 23218 Call: 804-786-2211 Secretary of the Commonwealth Kelly Thomasson Email to: pardons@governor.virginia.gov Write a letter to: Secretary of the Commonwealth Kelly Thomasson P.O. Bo 2454 Richmond, Virginia 23218 Call: 804-692-2542 A portion of this podcast series’ proceeds will be donated to the Center on Wrongful Convictions. To donate, learn more, or get involved, go to http://www.centeronwrongfulconvictions.org/

Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - The Birmingham Six

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 2.5K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 33:32

The thing about torture is that it works, at least if your only goal is to find a scapegoat. Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin take us to Birmingham, England. In 1972, two pubs were bombed, and six innocent Irish men were tortured into giving false confessions. The Birmingham Six were freed in 1991, but the crime’s never been solved. To this day, the public demands to know who really planted those bombs. Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 A portion of this podcast series’ proceeds will be donated to the Center on Wrongful Convictions. To donate, learn more, or get involved, go to http://www.centeronwrongfulconvictions.org/ Learn more and get involved at https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com/false-confessions

Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science - Roadside Drug Test Evidence

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 1.4K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 34:14

Josh Dubin examines Roadside Drug Testing with Greg Glod, Criminal Justice Fellow at Americans for Prosperity. Faulty tests, which cost police departments $2 a piece or less, are widely used across the United States, causing countless people to plead guilty to crimes they didn’t commit, despite scientific evidence that proves just how ineffective they really are. Learn more and get involved. http://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com/junk-science https://www.propublica.org/article/common-roadside-drug-test-routinely-produces-false-positives https://www.propublica.org/article/no-field-test-is-fail-safe-meet-the-chemist-behind-houston-police-drug-kits https://www.propublica.org/article/unreliable-and-unchallenged Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 and PRX.

Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - The Midnight Crew

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 1.4K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 32:53

In Chicago, old habits die hard. Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin bring us inside one of the worst police abuse scandals in U.S. history. For decades on the southside of Chicago, a group of white cops turned the interrogation room into a torture chamber for Black men. Those cops called themselves the Midnight Crew. Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 A portion of this podcast series’ proceeds will be donated to the Center on Wrongful Convictions. To donate, learn more, or get involved, go to http://www.centeronwrongfulconvictions.org/ Learn more and get involved at https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com/false-confessions

Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - Tyra Patterson

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 1.4K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 30:39

The prisons are filled with people convicted of murder who never killed anyone. Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin take us to Dayton, Ohio where a young woman’s false confession to robbery gets turned into a false conviction for murder. There are two profound lies at work in the legal system here. Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 A portion of this podcast series’ proceeds will be donated to the Center on Wrongful Convictions. To donate, learn more, or get involved, go to http://www.centeronwrongfulconvictions.org/ Learn more and get involved at https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com/false-confessions

Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science - Tool Mark Analysis

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 1.6K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 37:53

Josh Dubin talks about Tool Mark Analysis with Tim Requarth, a freelance journalist who often writes about the intersection between science and criminal justice and a lecturer in science and writing at New York University. The notion that tools leave a unique mark on a surface is commonly presented to unsuspecting juries. But, it turns out that it's not necessarily the case at all. Learn more and get involved. “Forensic Science Put Jimmy Genrich in Prison for 24 Years. What if It Wasn’t Science” By Meehan Crist and Tim Requarth https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/the-crisis-of-american-forensics/ http://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 and PRX.

Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - Henry McCollum and Leon Brown

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 1.2K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 31:19

I shall no longer tinker with the machinery of death. Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin bring us inside a decades-long fight for the truth. The story of Henry McCollum and Leon Brown is living proof that false confessions can send innocent people to death row. Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 A portion of this podcast series’ proceeds will be donated to the Center on Wrongful Convictions. To donate, learn more, or get involved, go to http://www.centeronwrongfulconvictions.org/ Learn more and get involved at https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com This episode includes audio from “Brothers Return Home to Freedom” from The News & Observer. © 2014 McClatchy. All rights reserved. Used under license.

Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science - Gunshot Residue Evidence

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 2K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 34:37

Josh Dubin explores Gunshot Residue Evidence with Joanna Sanchez from the Wrongful Conviction Project at the Office of the Ohio Public Defender. Of all the many faulty forensic sciences, Gunshot Residue certainly has some truly startling and scary issues that began almost a century ago. Learn more and get involved. http://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 and PRX.

Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - Norfolk Four

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 1.4K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 33:52

Norfolk 4 Four honorable men volunteered to fight for their country, but ended up fighting for their own freedom. Hosts Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin, co-directors at Northwestern University’s Center on Wrongful Convictions and central figures in the smash hit Netflix docuseries Making a Murderer, tell us about not one, but four U.S. Navy sailors who falsely confessed to murdering another sailor’s wife. Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 A portion of this podcast series’ proceeds will be donated to the Center on Wrongful Convictions. To donate, learn more, or get involved, go to http://www.centeronwrongfulconvictions.org/ Learn more and get involved at https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This episode includes audio from “Brothers Return Home to Freedom” from The News & Observer. © 2014 McClatchy. All rights reserved. Used under license.

Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom - Keyontay Ricks

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 1.2K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 51:57

S11E20: Keyontay Ricks After being wrongfully convicted for the first time as a child and paroled from juvie, Keyontay Ricks got involved with mentoring at risk kids, including a 14 year old weed dealer named Kurtel Walker. Kurtel and one of his customers conjured up a plot to settle a drug debt through the customer’s workplace, and their combined behavior got pinned on Keyontay when a racist cop decided to abuse his power. Learn more and get involved at: https://www.change.org/p/attorney-general-racist-amherst-police-officer-being-charged-perjury-for-falsely-testifying-under-oath https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 and PRX.

Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - Season 2 Trailer

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 1.1K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 03:52

Imagine the nightmare of being interrogated until you admit guilt for a crime you didn’t commit. In its long-awaited second season, Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions examines this true crime phenomenon through the eyes of two of the globe’s leading experts on interrogations: Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin, renowned attorneys, co-directors of Northwestern University’s Center on Wrongful Convictions, and recognized figures from the smash hit Netflix docu-series Making a Murderer. Using their unparalleled, first hand experience, actual interrogation audio, and interviews with leading lawyers, experts, and formerly incarcerated people to tell twelve true stories of false confessions, Laura and Steve invite us onto the front lines along with them to learn not only why people confess to crimes they never committed, but also how the criminal justice system failed to prevent those injustices from turning into years of wrongful imprisonment. Season 2 begins on Monday, October 5, 2020. Learn more and get involved: http://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com

Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom - Sabrina Butler

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 1.2K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 39:26

S11E19: Sabrina Butler Approaching midnight on April 11th, 1989, 18 year old single mother Sabrina Butler found her 9 month old, Walter, not breathing. A genetic kidney disorder sent a series of events in motion that took Walter’s life and nearly his mother’s along with it. Learn more and get involved at: https://www.witnesstoinnocence.org/ https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 and PRX.

Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom - Kevin Dykes

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 1.4K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 38:19

S11E18: Kevin Dykes Plagued by guilt over the accidental death of a friend, Kevin Dykes turned to drugs and the street after a stint in juvie. After witnessing his drug overlords violently prey upon his friends and neighbors, Kevin decided to go to the police, but snitching came with even more hazards than expected. Learn more and get involved at: https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 and PRX.

Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom - Marilyn Mulero

Wrongful Conviction Podcasts

  • 1.9K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 49:14

S11E16: Marilyn Mulero On May 2nd, 1992, Marilyn Mulero was out with Madeline Mendoza and Jackie Montanez, mourning the death of a friend at the hands of the Latin Kings, when they happened to meet 2 members of that very same gang. Montanez’s murderous gang life ambitions put her friends’ lives and freedom in jeopardy when they all collided with 2 of Chicago’s most corrupt detectives. Learn more and get involved at: https://californiainnocenceproject.org/ https://www.uis.edu/illinoisinnocenceproject/ https://www.exonerationproject.org/ https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1 and PRX.