Griffith College Dublin

by Fergus Black, Irish Independent, Friday 6th of August 2010

THE top American defence lawyer who helped clear onetime US footballer and actor OJ Simpson of murder revealed last night that he expected several Irish miscarriage of justice cases to be uncovered in the next few years.
Professor Barry Scheck said he had great hope for the success of a project that has begun reviewing 18 Irish cases to identify cases of wrongful conviction.
"One miscarriage is one too many. Ordinarily it takes years to establish a miscarriage of justice but my expectation is that over the next two to three years there will be a few cases unearthed in Ireland," he said.
Prof Scheck was in Dublin yesterday to see the official launch at Griffith College of the first Irish Innocence Project - a network he helped found in America in 1992 to examine cases of possible miscarriage of justice.
Through the project, 258 people in the US have so far been exonerated by DNA testing, including 17 who were on death row.
The Irish Innocence Project under David Langwallner, Dean of Law at Griffith, joins similar projects in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It was launched by DNA expert Dr Greg Hampikian, director of the Idaho Innocence Project.

Cases

Under the programme, 10 final year law students will work closely with qualified and practising barristers in reviewing "pro bono" (for free) 18 Irish cases which have been scrupulously selected as part of the Innocence Project.
They will review the original investigation to the final appeal and once a review is complete, the team will make a recommendation as to whether the case should be brought before the courts once more or if no further action should be taken.
Along with college officials, Prof Scheck met yesterday with a number of Irish barristers and solicitors to discuss the project.
Today he will meet some of the students who will be involved in reviewing the selected 18 Irish cases.
"All these projects across the US and Europe are dedicated to exonerating those who are factually innocent," he said. "This is not about getting people off on technicalities. Our projects are only interested in people who are actually factually innocent."
The high-profile US lawyer said the "bottom line" for those convicted of a crime was whether they committed it or not.
"If you didn't, the whole point of the Innocence Project is to find a way to jump through all the procedural hurdles to rectify a miscarriage of justice," Prof Scheck added The emergence of these projects in Ireland and across the world represented faith in the justice system."

Tonight with Vincent Browne TV3, Thursday 5th of August 2010.

• Barry Scheck is featured on the panel, and talks to Sam Smyth about the Innocence Project. Tonight with Vincent Browne, TV3, Thursday 5th of August 2010.

Links

• Irish Innocence Project - www.innocenceproject.ie
• Innocence Project
• Griffith College Faculty of Law - Innocence Project
• Griffith College Faculty of Law

Posted on 06/08/2010 by webmaster