Marissa Boyers Bluestine is the Legal Director of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project. She has written an overview of the Pennsylvania Advisory Committee On Wrongful Convictions Report that was issued in late 2011.

1. January 2012 Correctional Forum
Correctional Forum
January 2012
A PublicAtion of the PennsylvAniA Prison society
Promoting a humane, just and constructive correctional system and a rational approach to criminal justice since 1787
GuardiNG aGaiNst
wroNGful coNvictioNs
witness MisiDentificatiOn in nearlY 75% Of wrOngful cOnvictiOns
by Marissa Boyers Bluestine
Eleven people have been released criminal justice system to help prevent
from Pennsylvania prisons after DNA wrongful convictions. Formed in 2006,
testing proved their innocence. The the committee considered various
true perpetrators of only two of these proposals to prevent wrongful convic-
crimes have been found. Since 1973, tions. The report takes an exhaustive
there have been 273 DNA exonera- view of the problems and causes of
tions across the nation. In 55 percent wrongful convictions, and contains
of these cases, the true perpetrators of recommendations drawn from best
the crimes were never caught. In the practices already in use in law enforce-
other 45 percent, the true criminals ment agencies across the United States.
committed additional crimes while Many of these recommendations are
the innocent languished behind bars. grounded in more than a quarter cen-
When we convict the wrong person, tury of scientific research. (See Commit-
all of us are harmed. tee Recommendations, page 10.) Read about New Leash on Life USA’s
first graduating class (page five).
Recently, the Pennsylvania Advi- An independent report from 14 Above, vet tech Laura teaches
sory Committee on Wrongful Convic- members was also released, arguing prisoner/trainer Lucas how to clean
tions issued its final report, calling that the majority report did not “reflect Paris Hilton’s ears.
for major updates to Pennsylvania’s Photo by Jack McMahon, Jr.
See Wrongful Convictions on page 10
MultisysteMic therapy: a New approach for at-risk youth
Offering HOpe tO YOung peOple witH BeHaviOral DisOrDers
by Erica Zaveloff
Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) is ing family relations; encouraging provide services in the home at times
a family and home-based therapeutic the youth to interact with friends convenient to the family. Treatment
approach to helping troubled youth who do not participate in criminal consists of up to 60 hours of contact
overcome their behavioral disorders. behavior; helping the youth to get provided during a four-month period.
It addresses the entire world of the in- better grades or to develop a voca- According to an MST therapist in Il-
dividual — family, teachers, coaches, tion; helping the youth to participate linois, “There’s still something miss-
neighborhood, and peers. The primary in healthy activities such as sports or ing when you’re not working within
goals of MST are to decrease youth school clubs; and creating a support the family’s immediate environment.
criminal activity, reduce other types network of extended family, neigh- And that’s where MST comes in and
of harmful behavior, and cut spend- bors, and friends to help the caregiv- does something different. We have the
ing by decreasing rates of incarcera- ers maintain the changes. approach where we see what’s hap-
tion and out-of-home placement. MST Therapists who specialize in MST pening within the home. We get to
achieves these goals through various have small caseloads (usually four to experience the dynamics, so that we’re
strategies that include: enhancing the six families at a time), are available 24 actually getting to the core of some of
caregivers’ parenting skills; improv- hours a day/seven days a week, and See Therapy on page 9
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2. Correctional Forum January 2012
Wrongful Convictions, continued from page 1
recommenDations
true science” and cast aspersions on law enforcement. The independent From the Pennsylvania
committee acknowledged that adjustments and improvements can
be made to benefit all citizens, but does not see the need for systemic aDvisory committee on
changes to the criminal justice system. WrongFul convictions
Many states, localities, and law enforcement agencies are adopting • A law requiring lineups and photo arrays
the proposed changes in the majority report. Across the country, eye- to be conducted by someone who does
witness identification procedures are evolving in order to fairly pros- not know who investigators suspect
ecute the guilty and not implicate the innocent.
• A law requiring the electronic recording
State Senator Stewart Greenleaf recently introduced two bills to of police interrogations and confessions
implement the committee’s proposals. Senate Bill 1338, would create a • State, rather than county, funding of
Committee on Conviction Integrity. This committee would look at any defense services for the indigent, with
proven exoneration case to determine what factors led to the wrong- adequate compensation for attorneys
ful conviction, and if changes to Pennsylvania’s criminal justice system
could prevent future injustices. • Electronic recording of statements made
to law enforcement by informants
The other bill, Senate Bill 1337, calls for needed improvements to
• Requirement of a hearing in capital cases
methods used by law enforcement. Many of these improvements mir-
before admitting testimony from an infor-
ror those in the report from the Pennsylvania Advisory Committee on
mant that is incriminated by the accused
Wrongful Convictions
• Extension of the length of time to petition
When an innocent person is convicted of a crime he did not commit, for post-conviction relief (the “60 Day
we are all affected: the wrongfully convicted individual usually spends Rule”) to one year
years in prison, the victim gets no closure, and the public must deal
with other criminal acts from a true perpetrator who escaped justice • A law requiring the accreditation of foren-
sic laboratories used in evidence collection
Convicting innocent people is not a new phenomenon in our society,
• A statutorily created forensic advisory
but with efforts like these, it need not be a permanent reality.
board
• A law requiring the state to pay damages
to those wrongfully imprisoned
Marissa Boyers Bluestine is the Legal Director of the Pennsylvania Innocence • A statute enabling automatic expunge-
Project. For more information about wrongful convictions, go to: ment of the criminal history record for
www.innocenceprojectpa.org those found eligible
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