May 4, 2008
DNA Helps Free Inmate After 27 Years
60 Minutes: James Woodard Owes His Freedom To Project Started By Dallas County D.A.
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Freed From Wrongful Conviction
The Dallas County District Attorney's office and the Innocence Project of Texas have joined forces to re-examine cases and have freed several inmates so far. Scott Pelley reports.
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The D.A. And The Death Penalty
Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins explains to Scott Pelley why he is ambivalent about the death penalty.
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James Woodard (CBS)
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60 MINUTES
"We have a responsibility to go back and right the wrongs of the past and free the innocent," Watkins tells Pelley.
"You know, some people say that you're wasting time and money that you're looking back at these old cases when you're sitting in the middle of the city that has the highest crime rate in the nation," Pelley remarks.
"You know, I disagree with that," Watkins says. "The job of the district attorney is to seek justice. And when justice has failed, then we have to fix it."
"You know, we were sitting with some of these men who'd been in prison for 20 years, been in prison longer than that and as I was sitting there, it occurred to me that if these guys sat in prison that long, it's likely that somebody who didn't commit the crime was executed. Do you fear that that's the case?" Pelley asks.
"I fear that and that causes me to lose sleep every day," Watkins says.
In an almost revolutionary step, Watkins has teamed up with The Innocence Project of Texas, opening all of the prosecution files to the project's lawyers and law students. He's backing them with subpoena power so they can get a hold of witnesses and evidence. The students are opening files that have been closed, some since the 1970's.
"We take a lot for granted, I think. And we say, 'Oh, well, if the state, if the government said that he did it, he obviously did.' But that's not necessarily true," one of the students told Pelley.
The students said they don't get paid or college credit for their work.
Asked what they are getting out of the experience, one of the students said, "Well, the satisfaction that I'm doing something for people who can't do it themselves."
Produced by Tom Anderson and Jenny Dubin
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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See all 151 CommentsNever dawned on the Parole Board that he might not admit to guilt because HE WASN''T GUILTY.
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However, as to the "whatithink" comment. You can''t be on the parole board and assume the people in jail who say they are not guilty are truly not guilty. You would have to set everyone free. In reality a very small percentage of not guilty are ever sent to jail.
Back then, the prosecutor''s office was run by the legendary Henry Wade, who, says Michelle Moore of the Innocence Project, had deputies who sometimes ignored the rules. "We have found, in some of those cases, that there was evidence that was not given over to the defense, so the defense could not adequately prepare," she says. That''s exactly what happened to Woodard.
They should take legendary Henry Wade and put him in the deepest darkest hole and seal it.
Make an example of these law people who think they are above.
Of course with the Village idiot from the state I can see why they have problems.
How do you know the percentage if they refuse to give the testing? If there is any possibility and the possibility to do the DNA testing, it should be a NO BRAINER! One innocent man in prison is one too many.
You''ll find any way to turn this into a liberal conspiracy, won''t you. Looking in the mirror is just too much for you.
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Posted by smiley676 at 03:34 PM : May 02, 2008
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Really and what would that Percentage be? With EVERY passing day we see more and more of them freed.. so what percentage would you think are guilty who say they are not. It''s been my experience with guilty people, they will say that in a New York Minute if it will get them off early... they KNOW no DNA or anything else is going to get them off don''t they? You sound very hate filled on this.. could there be a reason??
Posted by CultureChang
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Well put.
Posted by USBrit
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Yawn, who cares?
It was District Attorney Henry Wade who insisted that procedures were put in place to preserve the DNA evidence for future testing instead of destroying the evidence like most other counties in Texas and other states did. Had Wade not had the foresight to insist on the preservation of this evidence, these men would still be sitting in prison today.
Wade should be commended for making these exonerations possible. It is because this evidence is still available in Dallas County that has lead to the high number of exonerations. No evidence to test - no exonerations.
No one is taking credit away from Craig Watkins for the good policies he has put in place but the plain fact is, neither Bill Hill or Craig Watkins could have achieved these exonerations without the physical evidence being available to test.
No one is taking credit away from Craig Watkins for the good policies he has put in place but the plain fact is, neither Bill Hill or Craig Watkins could have achieved these exonerations without the physical evidence being available to test.
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Posted by Dallasite1 at 08:39 PM : May 02, 2008
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That''d be like giving Hitler credit for keeping such good lists of names of Death Camp victims so the next of kin would be able to find out what happened to them. He''s a POS, nothing more.
And that is the entire point. Anyone trying to posit otherwise is a fool.
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Posted by veteran72 at 12:37 AM : May 03, 2008
No, not really. Mistaken eyewitness testimony is the reason these people were wrongfully convicted not "win at all costs" prosecutors. Only 3 of the 17 cases had prosecutor misconduct.
Also, while we are on the topic....of the 17 people exonerated......13 were exonerated under Bill Hill, 4 have been exonerated under Craig Watkins.
Posted by headpop3
You don''t, by any chance, have a Laredo, Texas home address? Seems to me anyone with that much anger over DNA evidence must have had it used against him. DNA evidence is MUCH more reliable than human intuition, which can be influenced by ignorance, prejudice, and personal experiences unrelated to the crime. Fundamentalist evangelicals want to deny DNA evidence because it upsets their view of the Bible as a historically accurate scientific document authored by God, and therefore infallible, rather than one concerned with spiritual rather than physical truths.
That is a big problem with our system of justice - cops and prosecuting attorneys who think that they are entitled to judge suspects.
Ain''t there job - that is the judge or jury''s job...
Decades ago, as a teen who had NO interest in anything legal, I knew the difference between Law and Justice. Seems like these days, even judges don''t know the difference or pretend they don''t.
In fact if there really were justice, anyone, including judges, who called law "justice", would be charged with perjury.
1) Whomever actually committed the crime, that the prosecutors did NOT put in jail - what crimes were they allowed to commit, and who else were they allowed to hurt?, and
2) Assuming the defendant is still under oath, if they admit to the crime they did NOT commit, isn''t that perjury? A crime in an of itself? And those lawyers, officers of the court, asking them to do so suborning perjury?
Shouldn''t numerous people in the former prosecuter''s office be spending time in prison themselves?
These Lawyers are making a game out of our justice system, Lawyers, and the Police are creating an us against them mentality in this nation. I propose that a law be enacted in every state where any lawyer who, knowingly or not, causes a conviction of an innocent person be mandatorially required to serve the sentence of his victim. Maybe this will help these victims of our criminal lawyers find some semblance of justice.
I grew up in Texas left in 1969. I am not surprised by this at all.
My concern for these men who are finally being released is what is in place for them after they have been set free?
Are there organizatons or someone set in place to help them return to society?
I am very hopeful for others and pleased with the currtent DA.
Thank you,
JFOXX
Wade and his people, if they are around, should be put in jail.
I feel terrible for those who have been treated with such injustice. We are thinking abt you and praying for you.
You will get justice in the end- from God. And I know his justice will be correct. Keep the faith until the end- and you will get eternal justice, while those who perpetrated this will get punished for sure.
Based on evidence uncovered by the Innocence Project and the nes Dallas County DA, there is a real possibility that an innocent person was executed. If that is proven true, then each prosecutor involved should be indicted and tried for murder. I sure wish that animal Wade was still alive.
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