skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

"Making a Murderer" Makes an Impression on Criminal Justice System

play audio
Play

Tuesday, January 26, 2016   

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - For the many Missourians who have seen the hit Netflix series "Making a Murderer," it likely raises questions about the state of the criminal-justice system - which advocates say is a good thing.

The series follows the disturbing case of Steven Avery, a Wisconsin man in prison for 18 years for an assault he did not commit, only to be convicted of murder two years after his release. Oliver Burnette, who runs the Midwest Innocence Project, said that while viewers may find allegations of police and prosecutor misconduct in the series shocking, it's important to remember that the wheels of justice don't always turn in the right direction.

"We're never going to have a perfect system, never, because we're flawed as humans," he said. "Justice is strengthened when we have the courage to stand up and say, 'These mistakes happened, so let's fix those mistakes.' "

The Midwest Innocence Project is one of 70 affiliate groups nationwide that are working on behalf of people who say they're wrongfully convicted, and serves Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Arkansas. Burnette said the organization is completely donor-supported, and currently is litigating nine cases, with another 600 on the waiting list because of budget constraints.

Studies estimate that from 2 percent to 5 percent of people in prison are innocent, which translates to as many as 7,000 people in the five-state area. Burnette said it takes an average of $325,000 and seven years to litigate one case, and many find it hard to understand what drives his team to work against the odds.

"They say, 'How come you guys are advocating so strong for these people? They're guilty in the eyes of the law. How can you stand behind that?' I say, 'I can't imagine the frustration if you are innocent and you wait all those years,' " he said.

He pointed to the case of Floyd Bledsoe, a Kansas man who spent 16 years in prison for the rape and murder of his sister-in-law, but was exonerated last month on DNA evidence that was not available at the time of his conviction.

Burnette said victories such as that help fuel his faith that change is possible.

"Not just in the work that we do to exonerate the falsely convicted, but that's anywhere," he said. "We have to speak up where we see problems. It's our obligation as citizens, as humans, to point out the flaws so we can make the system better for everyone."

More information is online at themip.org.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021