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Jeffrey Deskovic received $5.4 million in compensation from the city of Peekskill, New York, on Tuesday, September 5, 2013, for his wrongful conviction and incarceration for the murder and rape of a teenage classmate in 1989.

When a person has been charged with a crime, he is considered innocent until proven guilty by trial in a court of law. One would suppose that all exculpatory evidence, that evidence which points towards a defendant’s innocence, would be disclosed during the defendant’s trial. In the state of Alaska, this is not always the case.

On September 1, a new law takes effect in the state of Texas. Senate Bill 1292, which was written by Senator Rodney Ellis, requires DNA analysis of all biological evidence in death penalty cases. The bill was passed by Texas lawmakers with the aim of preventing wrongful convictions.

On August 30, 1981, the body of Carolyn Armstrong was found on a dirt road in Navarro County, Texas. The 21-year-old woman was found naked from the waist down with forty stab wounds to her neck and chest. When investigators located the deceased’s vehicle several miles from the murder scene, they found a black hair net and a partially smoked joint, evidence which could lead to the young woman’s murderer.

In 1984, Robert Nelson was convicted of forcible rape and sodomy in Kansas City and was sentenced to 55 years in prison for his crimes. Nelson always claimed he was innocent of these crimes.

A 48-year-old man serving two consecutive 20-years-to-life sentences in the Auburn Correctional Facility, has been granted a hearing that may significantly impact his future.

An agreement that may exonerate the prison sentences of thousands of individuals was reached on July 18th between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Innocence Project and the National Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and its partners.

If you have been arrested or are under investigation for a crime, your choice of a lawyer is an extremely important decision, one that could not only affect the case against you, but your future, as well.

The state of New York has some of the harshest DWI laws in our country. First time offenders are looking at fines between $500 and $1,000, license revocation of six months, probation of three years, and perhaps a jail sentence of one year.

You’re attending a friend’s party, socializing with friends, partaking of great food and alcoholic beverages, and generally just having a good time. Now the party has ended and it’s time to head home. As you head out the door, a friend stops you and states, “You really shouldn’t drive after you’ve been drinking.” “What’s the big deal?” you ask.