Donate today, Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations. According to Coopers civil complaint, two eyewitnesses said they recognized the assailant and it was not Cooper. Our work Our Family Law and Domestic Violence Practice provides legal services to survivors of domestic violence throughout New York City. The police stated that if I do not appear tomorrow morning at the trial, they are going to release Anthony and charge me with the murder, he said in his 2002 affidavit. For Elizabeth Felber, the director of the Legal Aid Society's Wrongful Conviction Unit, . The Clinic frequently works with the Criminal Trials, Appeals and Case Closed units of The Legal Aid Society. he Legal Aid Society Wrongful Conviction Unit, Consumer Information (ABA Required Disclosures), Enough is Enough: Combating Sexual Misconduct, Muhammad Faridi 07 Appointed Civilian Representative on NYPD Oversight Committee, The End of Exile: CLEAR celebrates Akram Djumaevs win 7 years in the making. In fact, Hale told the jury during closing arguments: Now you heard the summation of the defense Mr. Tims [Sim defense attorney] wants you to believe that Julius Graves is the perpetrator of this crime., In Sims 2016 letter to the CRUwhich he wrote himself, without legal counselhe said that he was innocent and included Graves recantation, but did not say he had witnessed Graves kill the victim. Eric Gonzalez, right, the Brooklyn district attorney, in 2020. The Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) provides direct legal services to taxpayers who have personal income tax disputes with the Internal Revenue Service or the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Rooms are limited and are available on first come first serve basis. In certain cases, video As a result of harmful changes to immigration law and policy, Legal Aids clients are increasingly unable to access justice before the USCIS and the immigration courts. It will be a measure of justice to make up for the original injustice of your arrest and conviction.. The Bronx district attorney has also vacated more than 250 convictions that relied on a single officer, who has since been accused of lying in other cases. Elizabeth Felber, supervising attorney for the Legal Aid Society's Wrongful Conviction Unit, said she hopes the next head of the unit, Hale's replacement, comes from the defense community, as has been the practice in other jurisdictions in New York, such as . Requests for review must be done by letter or email. If you are looking to donate, get involved, or get assistance, find and connect to your local Network organization here. Founded in 1876, the Society provides a full range of civil legal services as well as criminal defense work, and juvenile rights representation in . Elizabeth Felber, director of the Wrongful Conviction Unit at The Legal Aid Society, said the people whose cases were tossed endured "hardships that should have never been allowed to happen . The Legal Aid Society is built upon one simple but powerful belief that no New Yorker should be denied the right to equal justice. The Defenders Clinic at CUNY Law and The Legal Aid Society are committed to addressing the systemic inequities in the criminal legal system so that no one is denied their right to freedom and equal justice. It reflects a broader push to scrutinize police testimony and a recognition of the catastrophic effects that even misdemeanor convictions can have on people. District Attorney, Major Crimes Division, Legal Aid Society, Seymour James, Lee Long, NYPD, Lamar Palmer, . If you have a maximum of two convictions (one of which is a felony) that are more than 10 years old, you may be eligible to apply for sealing and representation in your application. On Wednesday, Eric Gonzalez, the district attorney in Brooklyn, asked a state judge to vacate the first 15 convictions under his purview, all of which involved felonies and several of which resulted in prison time, according to the prosecutors office and the Legal Aid Society. His then-wife, Kisha Sims, said she expected that he would be acquitted and had been planning a coming home party for him. | translate }}, {{ 'Find and save resources 24/7 from anywhere' | translate }}, {{ 'Get the free One Degree App. Update (9/4): This article previously stated that the Brooklyn CRU exonerated seven people during DA Gonzalezs current tenure. This case presents a number of disputed factual and legal issues which are appropriately resolved in a court of law and not in the media, the statement said. The Worker Justice Project, an initiative of The Legal Aid Societys Criminal Defense Practice, combats discrimination faced by workers with arrest or conviction records living in New York City. These positions require . There is nothing that you need to do to make this happen. Alfonzo Riley, pictured above, worked with the Defenders Clinic on his clemency application; he was granted clemency from Governor Cuomo in 2018 after 30 years in prison. DNA; Non-DNA; I would just hear them screaming Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!. Pursuant to a federal grant, our WCU has teamed up with CUNY Law Schools Criminal Law Clinic and the Henry Lee Institute of Forensic Science to broaden its ability to represent the wrongfully convicted. Although he did not pull the trigger and was actually nowhere near the shooting, he was charged under New Yorks controversial felony murder law and sentenced to 71 years to life. By the numbers, there are 39,683 incarcerated persons in New York State prisons with many of them serving lengthy prison sentences. The Legal Aid Society 4.3. One of those officers, Richard Danese, was also named several years ago on a list of seven officers whom Brooklyn prosecutors stopped calling as witnesses because of concerns about their credibility. I know in my heart and God knows that I am not capable of what I was convicted of, Sims said, according to a court transcript. These convictions continue to hang around people and impact them in all kinds of ways, Mr. Gonzalez said. According to Sims and his attorneys, Hale committed additional misconduct when he failed to disclose that the Brooklyn DAs Office was paying for Graves and his family to enter a witness relocation program. This document answers many of the questions you may have about the new law. Emily Niedzwiecki. Crime and delinquency 32: 518-544; Huff C, Rattner A & Sagarin E 1996. This article has also been updated to clarify that the CRU also moved to vacate 90 convictions based on the testimony of disgraced NYPD narcotics detective Joseph Franco. The lawsuit, against the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB), the New York State Department of Homes and Community Renewal (DHCR), and individual landlords, now includes . , the Brooklyn DAs office has claimed that Hale did not review Sims case. How can I contact you?" 155, 156 taxation 148 trade union members, prohibited list of 365 trade unions, against 323, 394, 406 wrongful dismissal see under wrongful dismissal see also compensation declarations 58, 59, 274, 301, 366 agency workers 65 detriment: trade unionism . However, in 1994, Hunt's legal team filed for DNA testing. In 2016, Sims wrote a letter to the Brooklyn DAs conviction review unit, or CRU, asking them to investigate his case. Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering (Warren L. McCabe; Julian C. Smith; Peter Harriott) . {{ 'All my collections' | translate }} {{ 'Resources for Pro members' | translate }}, {{ 'Free marketing materials' | translate }}, {{ 'Frequently Asked Questions' | translate }}, {{ 'And x more' | translate: { count: (tagsWithinArea.length - 4)} }}, {{ "Add or edit resources" | translate }}, {{ 'Community Learning Hub' | translate }}, 2023 One Degree, {{ 'a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.' Although he did not pull the trigger and was actually nowhere near the shooting, he was charged under New York's controversial felony murder law and sentenced to 71 years to life. Subscribe to The Legal Aid Society's newsletters for campaign updates, case victories, client stories, and more. Since 2015, the DNA Unit of the Legal Aid Society in New York City has held an annual, two-day forensic conference for defense attorneys called Questioning Forensics. The Legal Aid Society is taking precautions and implementing safety measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to comply with New York City's requirements concerning Covid-19. Click here to learn more and register. Collins was wrongfully convicted in 1995 in Brooklyn; his. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. In a statement responding to questions sent to the DAs office by New York Focus, spokesperson Yaniv characterized Sims account as novel. It was based almost entirely on Julius Graves recantation of his testimony in 2002. Mr. Bowens, now 56, was the central police officer in 134 of the cases that the Brooklyn prosecutors aim to dismiss. Students from the clinic have teamed up on our cases and the forensic scientists routinely consult on forensic science issues. Coopers appellate criminal defense attorney and civil attorney is Tom Hoffman, the same person representing Sims. The Legal Aid Society Wrongful Conviction Unit Jan 2021 - Present 2 years 2 months. One of the social forces that convictions uses is the human need for safety and serving justice. Help us raise awareness about the causes, costs, and remedies of wrongful conviction each year on October 2. | translate }}, {{ "Is One Degree free? The Corporate Lawyer Moonlighting as a New York Assemblymember. c/o The Legal Aid Society wcu@legal-aid.org. Before the murder, he said, I had everything going for me., I remember looking forward to coming home because my sons would hear me in a hallway, he said. CRUs are tasked with investigating convictions secured by their own officeoften the colleagues, friends and supervisors of CRU staff. Its just a sad injustice all the way around.. I always just wanted to run in the back and just run with my dad and just hide, like, Dad, Im staying with you, Anthony Sims Jr., now 27, told New York Focus. In the Clinics Second Look Project: Beyond Guilt, students work diligently on parole and clemency cases to locate and review court documents and records, re-investigate cases, and prepare motions and advocacy petitions. . WCU hears directly from incarcerated persons seeking help, many have been in prison for over 20 years, and in many cases, evidence was collected but never tested. More than half of wrongful convictions can be traced to witnesses who lied in court or made false accusations. Sims is no longer angry with Graves. Even if he was not part of the review process, youre still asking a subordinate to make a finding about his superior., Conviction review units, said Sims, should not even be housed in prosecutors offices. The Project can also tell you if you are eligible for the many other types of record relief that can help to end the perpetual punishment of a conviction record. Sims told him he couldnt think like that. The Clinic has had tremendous success in securing parole release and sentence commutation. Public defenders and advocates for criminal justice reform say Sims case highlights an inherent problem with the Brooklyn CRU and similar conviction review units in DAs offices across the country, in which prosecutors serve as the gatekeepers for potentially innocent people seeking to overturn convictions that resulted from their own misconduct. 2023 The Legal Aid Society. Legal Services NYC. Strong legal professional with a . So its easy to sweep things under the rug, its easy to rubber stamp things., Sims was 24 when he was convicted. According to Sims attorneys, Hale never disclosed this information to the defense. For questions about registration, need-based scholarship, or for more information about this years conference email Jessica Goldthwaite The Legal Aid Societys DNA Unit. In January of 2021, two attorneys joined the WCU: CUNY Law alum Antonia Codling 90 and Christine Bella. This involved evaluating court documents, conducting investigations, presenting to a panel of academic and legal professionals, and devising a new method of archiving documents for the project. Less than 24 hours after Chens murder, Sims was the primary suspect. So, I appeared the next day and did whatever it was they wanted.. Keisha and Kisha, along with Cooper and Collins, are championing Sims innocence. But this is not enough to protect an applicant to the CRU from an inherent conflict of interest, said Collins, who met Sims twenty-five years ago while they were both incarcerated in New York. 5. The justice system can be overwhelming. The Case Closed Project helps people clear their criminal records. Last spring, several defense and civil rights organizations sent a letter to the citys five district attorneys and the special narcotics prosecutor, identifying 20 police officers who had been convicted of crimes and two others who had engaged in work-related misconduct. To Jabbar Collins, that conflict of interest makes it imperative that a CRU is led by someone outside the office. Biography Early life and education. Provided at no cost, it protects those who do not have the means to defend their rights in the criminal justice system: the detained, arrested or imprisoned; those suspected, accused of, or charged with a criminal offence; and victims . Legal Aid Society Wrongful Conviction Unit. Last year, a New York Supreme Court judge vacated his conviction and, several months later, the DAs office dismissed the charge. Anyone can read what you share. I expected the CRU to interview me, which would give me a chance to answer their questions and give a detailed account of seeing Julius shoot the victim., The CRU did not contact Sims to learn more about his claims. Criminology 40(1): 1-18; Huff C, Rattner A & Sagarin E 1986. The total is expected to rise to 496. By Rebecca Davis OBrien and Troy Closson. Apparently the quickest way to corral the populace into *smart cities* with relentless surveillance is to Visit Us. | translate }}, {{ "Add or edit any resource" | translate }} Or email: wcu@legal-aid.org. 2023 The Legal Aid Society. If you are seeking legal assistance for yourself or a loved one, we encourage you to read through our FAQs and reach out to your local Network organization. Lastly David heads Legal Aid's Wrongful Conviction Unit. I. Riley was incarcerated for his role in a 1988 drug deal that ended in a homicide. After three days of deliberations, the jury sent a note to the court saying that they were deadlocked. | translate }}, {{ "How do I get started with the One Degree app?" 2023 The Legal Aid Society. Im sure that some day all of it will be exposed and many people will have their day in court again.. (Yes!)" Copyright 2022 The City University of New York School of Law | 2 Court Square, Long Island City, NY 11101-4356 | Phone: 718-340-4200 (c) Comstock, Thinkstock, royalty-free ( see reuse policy ). It was founded in 2012 in conjunction with the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law. Research shows challenges to wrongful convictions have extremely low success rates; even defendants who were later exonerated by DNA evidence had their appeals rejected in more than 90 percent of cases, one study. In the year following Sims trial, Graves and his family received more than $22,000. Our success so far with these advocacy letters indicates that there has been a shift in attitude at the parole boards. Civil law is the law that controls non-criminal issues.Civil lawsuits generally do not result in jail time or "punishment." Instead, the outcome of a civil case is usually an order from a judge that one person pay another person money to make up for harm that they caused, handling a family law (custody, divorce, etc.) Visit website. It was at that point, I forgave him, said Sims. The Legal Aid Society can assist with wrongful convictions, applications for commutation and pardon, and the sealing of past criminal records. All Rights Reserved. He served more than 25 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. INTRODUCTION The Clerk has sent to the Court for review a pro se civil.20230302561 Supervising Attorney - Wrongful Conviction Unit at The Legal Aid Society Sidwell Friends High School, Northwestern University, Benjamin Cardozo School of Law View profile View profile badges 40 Worth Street, Suite 606. Phone. The average condemned person spends six-and-a-half years on Death Row as their case . Click here for a schedule of events and list of speakers. Elizabeth Felber, supervising attorney with the wrongful conviction unit at the Legal Aid Society a lawyers organization that represents 11 defendants whose cases will be vacated and dismissed . The Legal Aid Society | 35,370 followers on LinkedIn. Graves testimony was essential for the prosecutions case. Legal Aid Society . Hes now 46. Enough is Enough: Combating Sexual Misconduct | Notice of Non-Discrimination | Legal Notices | CUNY Copyright | Text Only View | Legal Aid Society Wrongful Conviction Unit New York, NY. Founded in 1876, the Society provides a full range of civil legal services as w. Freeing the innocent and preventing wrongful convictions worldwide. A jury of my peers found me guilty with the evidence that was presented to them and not the true facts., At the time, his sons were 4 and 5-years-old. The judge told them to keep going. The grant will be managed by the Research Foundation of CUNY. Each of the NYC DA offices are currently reinvestigating our cases. A new review by the CRUunder a different directormay be Sims best chance at exoneration. CRUs are tasked with investigating convictions secured by their own officeoften the colleagues, friends and supervisors of CRU staff. Thirty-four of those cases were linked to Detective Kevin Desormeau, who was convicted in 2018 for lying about an alleged cocaine sale in Jamaica, Queens. All Rights Reserved. They almost do more damage in terms of eroding peoples trust and confidence in the system.. Defense attorneys point to Hales control of the unit as a key reason for the slow pace of exonerations, New York Focus and The Appeal. Sims also says he told all his appellate attorneys that he saw Graves commit the crime; h. is one surviving appellate attorney confirmed this to his current counsel. pay $21,500 to each of hundreds of demonstrators, shows that the Police Department paid $121 million. Please register prior to March 10th. The Brooklyn review grew out of the offices investigation of cases involving Joseph E. Franco, a former narcotics detective who was charged with perjury and other offenses. Record Sealing The site contains instructions and forms for applying for commutations and pardons. Our goal is to get them each to agree to vacate our clients convictions most of whom are serving life sentences. {{ "Empowering you to find what you need" | translate }}, {{ "It's always 100% free" | translate }}, {{ 'Search for resources' | translate }} >, {{ 'Learn how to use One Degree' | translate }} >, {{ "One Degree amplifies your work" | translate }}, {{ "View tools & resources" | translate }} >, {{ "We're a 501(c)(3) technology-driven non-profit" | translate }}, {{ 'Learn more about us' | translate }} >, {{ 'Learn about our impact' | translate }} >, {{ 'How do I search for resources on the One Degree app?' | translate }}. 199 Water Street It's the daily routine for Elizabeth Felber, Alfonzo Riley and Thomas McCall the trio that runs the Legal Aid Society's new Wrongful Conviction Unit, a small new bureau for New York City . Sims trial counsel has since died. Historically, the parole boards routinely denied parole to people who maintained their innocence because they were not accepting responsibility for crimes they did not commit. Book now. September 16, 2020 / David Brand / Communities, . Under a recent New York State law (CPL 160.59), some people may be able to get their criminal convictions sealed. Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2023. 2023 The Legal Aid Society. Visit website. The Cop Accountability Project (CAP) of the Criminal Defense Practices Law Reform and Special Litigation Unit empowers organizations and communities across New York City to hold police accountable for human rights violations. | translate}}, {{ "Select a category below to get started" | translate }}, {{ "Total resources added across time" | translate }}, {{ "Number of resources viewed in the past year" | translate }}, {{ "Community contributors" | translate }}, {{ "Want some help? Sims experience wasnt an aberration. The judge admonished Hale for committing prosecutorial misconduct. She struck the witnesss testimony, but allowed the case to proceed. Tenant/landlord issues. 2023 New York Public Radio. His son began to sob. Additionally, each year, the Defenders Clinic hosts an experienced attorney on leave from The Legal Aid Society as a Fellow and Supervising Attorney. Conference themes in the past have included how to litigate a forensic DNA case, the PCAST report, and the NIST Mixture Foundation Review. New York, NY 10038. It would be among the largest mass dismissal of convictions in the country, according to data collected by the National Registry of Exonerations. Sims and Kisha divorced in 2018, but say they have remained close friends. The loss of that evidence could affect cases and people The Legal Aid Society represents who may have been wrongly convicted. Chao Tzee Cheng was the son of a professor in cultural studies and a school principal.Of Cantonese origin, he later migrated to Singapore with his parents and received his education at Catholic High School and Victoria Continuation School. As deputy chief of the homicide bureau under Hynes, Hale participated in an office-wide practice of deceiving judges in criminal cases, witness coercion, and intentional suppression of evidence, according to a federal lawsuit recently filed by exoneree Emmanuel Cooper. They should be an entirely independent agency, totally separate from any DAs office., A lot of the prosecutors know each other, he said. One eyewitness, who knew both Sims and Graves, called police and told them that she saw Graves, not Sims, running out of the restaurant with a gun in his hand, according to a report by Graves fiancee. Mr. Danese was convicted of disorderly conduct in 2009 after he arrested a teenage boy on Halloween and abandoned him half-naked in a desolate Staten Island marsh. To me that's just an inherent dual loyalty," said Elizabeth Felber, a supervising attorney at the Legal Aid Society's wrongful conviction unit. Vacating and dismissing these cases is both constitutionally required and necessary to ensure public confidence in our justice system.. Skip to Job Postings. Graves only agreed to testify after his fiance was arrested, according to a statement he gave in 2002, which he has since recanted. A few months before Graves testified, the Brooklyn DAs office filed a Violation of Probation and scheduled a hearing on the matter for May 10, 1999, the same day he testified at Sims trial. The PATRIOT ACT is invoked against TREASONOUS Justices aiding and abetting abject fraud culminating in GENOCIDE of the American middle class. Member Organizations. Practicing as a forensic psychiatrist, Dr. James Grigson was called upon to evaluate people charged with capital murder crimes. In court, Katz promised that these expungements were just the beginning as her office continues to probe the work of the other officers tied to convictions in Queens. Upon retrial, Hunt was offered a sentence of time served if he would admit guilt. With a backlog of 100+ potential clients, The Legal Aid Society will hire a Post-Graduate Fellow to work on the project, and the Defenders Clinic will add a paralegal. Cooper was imprisoned for the 1992 murder of a subway token clerk. After spending 17 years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit, Brooklyn man James Davis is finally coming home. Two Legal Aid attorneys are also vital members of the Defenders Clinic team: Erin R. Tomlinson 10 as a Fellow and Visiting Attorney, and Bahar Ansari 06 as an adjunct professor. 212-577-3300. Notre Dame Law Schools Exoneration Justice Clinic is committed to correcting the miscarriage of justice and investigating, litigating, and overturning wrongful convictions. New York, NY 10013 (Tribeca area) $73,868 - $78,030 a year. Hale was the trial prosecutor. The Wrongful Conviction Unit was created to address the population of prisoners who have exhausted all possible avenues of defense and are still fighting for their freedom. 199 Water Street New York, NY 10038. Wrongful conviction lawyers have submitted the case to the Queens DA's Conviction Integrity Unit. At his sentencing hearing, he professed his innocence. The Defenders Clinic is on a mission to loosen the crushing hold of incarceration and criminalization in New York State by educating law students to be tireless and skilled criminal legal advocates. Sims attorneys have filed a petition to overturn his conviction, but the judge hearing their case, Danny Chun, has never reversed a conviction during his 16 years on the bench. Last fall, the Queens district attorney moved to dismiss 60 such cases. he did not see who shot the victim and did not know who did. One of those officers, Jerry Bowens, was charged with killing his girlfriend while he was facing charges arising from the corruption case. Students gain knowledge and first-hand practice experience in various criminal legal contexts, such as trial, post-conviction, parole, clemency, and reentry cases.