New England Innocence Project
@newenglandinnocence.org
Fighting for people & communities harmed by the criminal legal system. “Without freedom, we have nothing.” #FreeJasonCarroll #FreeTommyRosa #FreeUsAll
Pinned
‘Truly free’: Edward Wright, freed after four decades in prison, will not be prosecuted again
Due to the “significant passage of time and the loss of key witnesses," Wright will not be prosecuted again, the DA's Office said.
www.masslive.com
BREAKING NEWS!!! Edward Wright was exonerated today! After 41 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, Mr. Wright is finally cleared today after the District Attorney chose to end this prosecution. His conviction was previously overturned due to prosecutorial and police misconduct.
Reposted by New England Innocence Project
Help us send 2,000 books to readers who are incarcerated this winter through our Books Not Bars program
Books Not Bars 2025 Holiday Campaign
BOOKS NOT BARS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Haymarket Books is committed to making our books available for free to people who are incarcerated.
In an effort to support those inside who are dealing with the imm...
haymarketbooks.app.neoncrm.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Help us send 2,000 books to readers who are incarcerated this winter through our Books Not Bars program
“While … sheriff budgets receive new scrutiny due to high-profile instances of alleged misconduct, the Legislature and the public should be equally concerned with the underlying policy goals of this spending: human caging, disproportionately of Black and Hispanic people who are presumed innocent.“
On bail policy, Massachusetts must catch up - CommonWealth Beacon
Massachusetts has positioned itself as a leader on a range of policy domains under attack by the Trump administration. But as a national conversation has arisen about cash bail and public safety, fuel...
commonwealthbeacon.org
November 22, 2025 at 3:47 PM
“While … sheriff budgets receive new scrutiny due to high-profile instances of alleged misconduct, the Legislature and the public should be equally concerned with the underlying policy goals of this spending: human caging, disproportionately of Black and Hispanic people who are presumed innocent.“
Reposted by New England Innocence Project
“Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox won’t face a disciplinary review over his comments on the #KarenRead case, the state’s police oversight board said Thursday, responding to a call to action from Read attorney Alan Jackson.”
#Boston
#Boston
BPD commissioner won’t face state review, despite push from Karen Read’s attorney
Alan Jackson had called for Commissioner Michael Cox to face a disciplinary review over his comments about a witness from Karen Read’s case.
www.boston.com
November 21, 2025 at 7:37 PM
“Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox won’t face a disciplinary review over his comments on the #KarenRead case, the state’s police oversight board said Thursday, responding to a call to action from Read attorney Alan Jackson.”
#Boston
#Boston
Just another example of the recklessness of "law enforcement," this time to traumatize a *high school* judicial intern inside a courthouse. Government officials should never have immunity for the harms they inflict on people. www-wpri-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.wpri...
RI judge intervenes after ICE wrongfully detains Superior Court intern
A teenager was nearly taken into federal immigration custody in Providence Thursday afternoon before a Superior Court judge intervened, according to the Rhode Island Judiciary.
www-wpri-com.cdn.ampproject.org
November 21, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Just another example of the recklessness of "law enforcement," this time to traumatize a *high school* judicial intern inside a courthouse. Government officials should never have immunity for the harms they inflict on people. www-wpri-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.wpri...
Reposted by New England Innocence Project
ICE’s Detention Center outside Chicago was sued on October 30 for allegedly abusing detainees. One day later, a "system crash" lost all video footage that could have shown how detainees were being treated. trib.al/QwT3aqI
November 21, 2025 at 12:12 AM
ICE’s Detention Center outside Chicago was sued on October 30 for allegedly abusing detainees. One day later, a "system crash" lost all video footage that could have shown how detainees were being treated. trib.al/QwT3aqI
Reposted by New England Innocence Project
Boston OPAT sent a letter to BPD Commissioner Cox lamenting "'widespread refusal' by officers and employees to engage in interviews or cooperate with investigations." And also decried Cox's failure to "respect[] the recommendations made by [OPAT] in regards to discipline matters...” #mapoli #bospoli
Boston police oversight board: Officers refusing to cooperate with investigations
Boston police oversight board: Officers refusing to cooperate with investigations
Attempts to hold Boston police officers accountable by a civilian review board have been met with resistance.
www.masslive.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Boston OPAT sent a letter to BPD Commissioner Cox lamenting "'widespread refusal' by officers and employees to engage in interviews or cooperate with investigations." And also decried Cox's failure to "respect[] the recommendations made by [OPAT] in regards to discipline matters...” #mapoli #bospoli
Reposted by New England Innocence Project
NEW: Victor Rosario spent 32 years behind bars for a crime he says he did not commit before a judge overturned his convictions. More than a decade after his release, he returned to MCI Norfolk as a free man. There, he shared a walk—and a message of hope—with his old friends.
#Massachusetts
#Massachusetts
“Freedom is started from the inside”
Victor Rosario spent 32 years behind bars for a crime he says he did not commit. He returned to prison as a free man to share a walk—and a message of hope—with his old friends.
andrewqmr.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:13 PM
NEW: Victor Rosario spent 32 years behind bars for a crime he says he did not commit before a judge overturned his convictions. More than a decade after his release, he returned to MCI Norfolk as a free man. There, he shared a walk—and a message of hope—with his old friends.
#Massachusetts
#Massachusetts
Now that the Massachusetts State Police was found by a jury to discriminate on the basis of race and sex against its own staff, what might that mean for women and people of color accused of crimes by the State Police?
“A Suffolk County jury found on Monday that the State Police systematically discriminated against female and minority troopers through its promotional process and ordered the agency to pay more than $6.8 million.”
#Massachusetts #mapoli
#Massachusetts #mapoli
State Police must pay millions after jury finds agency discriminated against women, minorities in promotions - The Boston Globe
The lawsuit, first filed in 2016, involved allegations that the overwhelmingly male and white State Police brass routinely pass over female and minority troopers for promotion.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Now that the Massachusetts State Police was found by a jury to discriminate on the basis of race and sex against its own staff, what might that mean for women and people of color accused of crimes by the State Police?
The judge indicated that “…this unusual series of events, still not fully explained by the prosecutor’s declaration, calls into question the presumption of regularity generally associated with grand jury proceedings….”
Some lament the destruction of the presumption of regularity. We say: Finally!
Some lament the destruction of the presumption of regularity. We say: Finally!
Judge scolds Justice Department for ‘profound investigative missteps’ in Comey case
Judge scolds Justice Department for ‘profound investigative missteps’ in Comey case
The Justice Department engaged in a “disturbing pattern of profound investigative missteps” in the process of securing an indictment against former FBI Director James Comey, a federal judge ruled...
buff.ly
November 18, 2025 at 10:37 AM
The judge indicated that “…this unusual series of events, still not fully explained by the prosecutor’s declaration, calls into question the presumption of regularity generally associated with grand jury proceedings….”
Some lament the destruction of the presumption of regularity. We say: Finally!
Some lament the destruction of the presumption of regularity. We say: Finally!
Reposted by New England Innocence Project
a big runoff last night, in New Orleans:
Calvin Duncan was exonerated after spending *28 years* in prison; he tried to get his own case records from the New Orleans city clerk—but the office dragged its feet.
So Duncan ran to become city clerk himself, and yesterday ousted the incumbent.
Calvin Duncan was exonerated after spending *28 years* in prison; he tried to get his own case records from the New Orleans city clerk—but the office dragged its feet.
So Duncan ran to become city clerk himself, and yesterday ousted the incumbent.
Calvin Duncan wins Orleans clerk of court race - Verite News New Orleans
Duncan, a political newcomer and former prisoner, defeated incumbent Darren Lombard by a wide margin in Saturday's runoff.
veritenews.org
November 16, 2025 at 4:09 PM
a big runoff last night, in New Orleans:
Calvin Duncan was exonerated after spending *28 years* in prison; he tried to get his own case records from the New Orleans city clerk—but the office dragged its feet.
So Duncan ran to become city clerk himself, and yesterday ousted the incumbent.
Calvin Duncan was exonerated after spending *28 years* in prison; he tried to get his own case records from the New Orleans city clerk—but the office dragged its feet.
So Duncan ran to become city clerk himself, and yesterday ousted the incumbent.
Reposted by New England Innocence Project
The vast range of prison rules makes it nearly impossible to avoid infractions – and the punishments are horrific
Should people really face solitary confinement–a form of torture–for receiving a minor violation behind bars?
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/disc...
Should people really face solitary confinement–a form of torture–for receiving a minor violation behind bars?
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/disc...
November 15, 2025 at 8:15 PM
The vast range of prison rules makes it nearly impossible to avoid infractions – and the punishments are horrific
Should people really face solitary confinement–a form of torture–for receiving a minor violation behind bars?
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/disc...
Should people really face solitary confinement–a form of torture–for receiving a minor violation behind bars?
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/disc...
Reposted by New England Innocence Project
Official misconduct is found in the vast majority of wrongful convictions out of Boston. These allegations reveal a culture of covering up misconduct rather than holding officers accountable. Lies in police reports, like the ones here, cause people to lose their freedom, family, & lives. Shameful.
"A veteran Boston Police Department (BPD) Captain is suing the department’s highest-ranking officials, alleging he was pressured to scrub a finding that a rookie officer lied in a police report and an internal affairs interview." #mapoli #bospoli
www.boston25news.com/news/local/l...
www.boston25news.com/news/local/l...
Lawsuit claims BPD commissioner shielded officer from lying charge
A veteran Boston Police Department (BPD) Captain is suing the department’s highest-ranking officials, alleging he was pressured to scrub a finding that a rookie officer lied in a police report and an ...
www.boston25news.com
November 15, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Official misconduct is found in the vast majority of wrongful convictions out of Boston. These allegations reveal a culture of covering up misconduct rather than holding officers accountable. Lies in police reports, like the ones here, cause people to lose their freedom, family, & lives. Shameful.
Official misconduct is found in the vast majority of wrongful convictions out of Boston. These allegations reveal a culture of covering up misconduct rather than holding officers accountable. Lies in police reports, like the ones here, cause people to lose their freedom, family, & lives. Shameful.
"A veteran Boston Police Department (BPD) Captain is suing the department’s highest-ranking officials, alleging he was pressured to scrub a finding that a rookie officer lied in a police report and an internal affairs interview." #mapoli #bospoli
www.boston25news.com/news/local/l...
www.boston25news.com/news/local/l...
Lawsuit claims BPD commissioner shielded officer from lying charge
A veteran Boston Police Department (BPD) Captain is suing the department’s highest-ranking officials, alleging he was pressured to scrub a finding that a rookie officer lied in a police report and an ...
www.boston25news.com
November 15, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Official misconduct is found in the vast majority of wrongful convictions out of Boston. These allegations reveal a culture of covering up misconduct rather than holding officers accountable. Lies in police reports, like the ones here, cause people to lose their freedom, family, & lives. Shameful.
So-called conviction integrity units have been deeply disappointing, not only for their failure to undo individual injustices but their refusal to confront systemic ones. We can not rely on prosecutors to voluntarily pursue justice, but we continue to demand justice from all who stand in its way.
An advocate for conviction integrity units says that the fact that Cook County’s Conviction Integrity Unit hasn’t exonerated anyone in a year is a serious disappointment. “It makes no sense.”
Exonerations Grind to a Halt Under Chicago’s New Prosecutor
Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has weakened her office’s already broken system for freeing the innocent, even as allegations of coercion mount against a former Chicago detective.
boltsmag.org
November 11, 2025 at 1:29 AM
So-called conviction integrity units have been deeply disappointing, not only for their failure to undo individual injustices but their refusal to confront systemic ones. We can not rely on prosecutors to voluntarily pursue justice, but we continue to demand justice from all who stand in its way.
Reposted by New England Innocence Project
BREAKING: Mark Wolf, appointed to the federal bench by Ronald Reagan, writes that he is resigning as a judge to have the freedom to speak out against the president's assault on the rule of law.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
November 9, 2025 at 2:27 PM
BREAKING: Mark Wolf, appointed to the federal bench by Ronald Reagan, writes that he is resigning as a judge to have the freedom to speak out against the president's assault on the rule of law.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Reposted by New England Innocence Project
Prosecutors will not retry a man who spent more than 25 years in prison for a murder in Boston.
Rickey “FuQuan” McGee was released from prison last month in light of new evidence. He will now remain free. https://bit.ly/3XgSHXH
Rickey “FuQuan” McGee was released from prison last month in light of new evidence. He will now remain free. https://bit.ly/3XgSHXH
Prosecutors drop 1997 Boston murder case against Rickey ‘FuQuan’ McGee
He was released last month after decades in prison.
bit.ly
November 7, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Prosecutors will not retry a man who spent more than 25 years in prison for a murder in Boston.
Rickey “FuQuan” McGee was released from prison last month in light of new evidence. He will now remain free. https://bit.ly/3XgSHXH
Rickey “FuQuan” McGee was released from prison last month in light of new evidence. He will now remain free. https://bit.ly/3XgSHXH
Reposted by New England Innocence Project
Food behind bars often fails to meet the standards of basic nutrition.
What’s in a Prison Meal?
The ongoing fight for more, and better, prison food.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 7, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Food behind bars often fails to meet the standards of basic nutrition.
Courts have been described as a check on the govt. And we have certainly seen that in some cases. But more often, courts refuse to hold the government accountable and instead endorse its cruelest acts. The Supreme Court’s decisions should dismantle all myths of it as an objective/just institution.
November 7, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Courts have been described as a check on the govt. And we have certainly seen that in some cases. But more often, courts refuse to hold the government accountable and instead endorse its cruelest acts. The Supreme Court’s decisions should dismantle all myths of it as an objective/just institution.
Government propaganda has always been used to justify police & prisons. Fear can work. It’s what leads us to still invest in prisons when they don’t keep us safe. But we have also seen that it is possible to see through lies and myths. We can choose hope & humanity. We can choose community instead.
The government’s social media storytelling doesn’t always match what’s happening in the across the city and suburbs. The diverging sources of information are creating “parallel universes,” professor Nick Cull says.
Watch how government ‘propaganda’ techniques portray Chicago as a city at war with the feds
The government’s social media storytelling doesn’t always match what’s happening in the across the city and suburbs. The diverging sources of information are creating “parallel universes," Professor Nick Cull says.
n.pr
November 7, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Government propaganda has always been used to justify police & prisons. Fear can work. It’s what leads us to still invest in prisons when they don’t keep us safe. But we have also seen that it is possible to see through lies and myths. We can choose hope & humanity. We can choose community instead.
As our community members fight their wrongful convictions, these are the appalling conditions they suffer. The irony is that the Department of Correction preaches accountability to its residents but demonstrates little for itself and its staff.
www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
Surge of suicides in state prisons raises accountability questions
In September, there were two deaths in a week.
www.wgbh.org
November 7, 2025 at 3:25 AM
As our community members fight their wrongful convictions, these are the appalling conditions they suffer. The irony is that the Department of Correction preaches accountability to its residents but demonstrates little for itself and its staff.
www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
Reposted by New England Innocence Project
Tonight is the fifth annual Jammin’ for Justice benefit concert in #Somerville, which raises money to send #Massachusetts exonerees to the Innocence Network Conference in Chicago.
Some of the musicians are exonerees or lawyers for exonerees.
www.newenglandinnocence.org/innocence-bl...
Some of the musicians are exonerees or lawyers for exonerees.
www.newenglandinnocence.org/innocence-bl...
October 30, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Tonight is the fifth annual Jammin’ for Justice benefit concert in #Somerville, which raises money to send #Massachusetts exonerees to the Innocence Network Conference in Chicago.
Some of the musicians are exonerees or lawyers for exonerees.
www.newenglandinnocence.org/innocence-bl...
Some of the musicians are exonerees or lawyers for exonerees.
www.newenglandinnocence.org/innocence-bl...
Reposted by New England Innocence Project
Some good news!
“Boston City Council has voted unanimously to ban its government from using facial recognition technology, including the police department, making it the largest city on the East Coast to do so.”
www.builtinboston.com/articles/bos...
“Boston City Council has voted unanimously to ban its government from using facial recognition technology, including the police department, making it the largest city on the East Coast to do so.”
www.builtinboston.com/articles/bos...
Boston Police Can No Longer Use Facial Recognition Software | Built In Boston
The law makes it illegal for city officials to “obtain, retain, possess, access, or use” facial recognition technology, acknowledging that it “has the potential to harm communities of color who are al...
www.builtinboston.com
October 29, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Some good news!
“Boston City Council has voted unanimously to ban its government from using facial recognition technology, including the police department, making it the largest city on the East Coast to do so.”
www.builtinboston.com/articles/bos...
“Boston City Council has voted unanimously to ban its government from using facial recognition technology, including the police department, making it the largest city on the East Coast to do so.”
www.builtinboston.com/articles/bos...
Reposted by New England Innocence Project
UPDATE: Rickey “FuQuan” McGee’s 1998 murder conviction was overturned from the bench by Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Michael Ricciuti earlier this morning.
I'll have a story with the judge’s stunning comments out soon.
#Boston #Massachusetts
I'll have a story with the judge’s stunning comments out soon.
#Boston #Massachusetts
NEW: After spending 28 years in prison for a murder he says he did not commit, Rickey “FuQuan” McGee stepped out of the John Adams Courthouse in #Boston surrounded by dozens of jubilant supporters on October 14.
“I’m going to live incredibly,” McGee told the crowd as he held his fiancée and mother.
“I’m going to live incredibly,” McGee told the crowd as he held his fiancée and mother.
Boston Judge Frees Man While He Fights to Overturn 1998 Murder Conviction—With Prosecutors’ Help
Rickey “FuQuan” McGee spent 28 years in prison for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Now, prosecutors agree his convictions should be overturned.
andrewqmr.substack.com
October 27, 2025 at 4:09 PM
UPDATE: Rickey “FuQuan” McGee’s 1998 murder conviction was overturned from the bench by Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Michael Ricciuti earlier this morning.
I'll have a story with the judge’s stunning comments out soon.
#Boston #Massachusetts
I'll have a story with the judge’s stunning comments out soon.
#Boston #Massachusetts
Reposted by New England Innocence Project
“A wrongfully convicted man who spent 15 years in prison is suing the city of #Boston and several former police detectives, alleging they framed him for murder nearly 50 years ago.”
#Massachusetts
#Massachusetts
Wrongfully convicted man sues Boston after serving 15 years in prison
Milton Jones filed a federal civil lawsuit this week accusing Boston police of “egregious misconduct” that led to his wrongful conviction in the 1975 killing of Roxbury bar owner Albert Dunn.
www.wbur.org
October 24, 2025 at 6:10 PM
“A wrongfully convicted man who spent 15 years in prison is suing the city of #Boston and several former police detectives, alleging they framed him for murder nearly 50 years ago.”
#Massachusetts
#Massachusetts
Reposted by New England Innocence Project
There’s a principle called the presumption of regularity: it means that courts presume that the government will act lawfully and in good faith. With what we know about official misconduct leading to wrongful convictions and what we are seeing now, maybe it’s time to revisit this presumption.
“We found over 35 cases in which the judges have specifically said what the government is providing…false information. It might be intentionally false information, including false sworn declarations time and again," says Ryan Goodman, law professor at New York University.
October 20, 2025 at 4:17 AM
There’s a principle called the presumption of regularity: it means that courts presume that the government will act lawfully and in good faith. With what we know about official misconduct leading to wrongful convictions and what we are seeing now, maybe it’s time to revisit this presumption.