For Immediate Release: May 20, 2022 DURHAM, N.C. — Eyewitness identification has come a long way in the past seven years — the last time the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) summarized the state of research in that area. There have been important new research contributions and increased adoption of reforms in related practices by courts, […]
Tag: Brandon Garrett
Letter to White House: Criminal Justice AI Should Not be ‘Black Box’ or Non-Transparent
By Brandon Garrett and Cynthia Rudin Today, as data-driven technologies have been implemented across a wide range of human activities, new warnings have been issued from a wide range of sources, academic, public policy, and government, regarding the dangers posed by artificial intelligence to society, democracy, and individual rights. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has […]
#StartSmall Provides Wilson Center Almost $500,000 Gift to Fund Forensics Reform Work
The Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law is excited to announce a nearly $500,000 gift from Twitter and Square co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey’s #StartSmall philanthropic initiative, to support a new project aimed at rethinking policy regarding how forensic evidence is used in criminal cases. “Unfortunately, the need for forensics reform has […]
Reflecting on George Floyd’s Murder: Police Use of Force Policies Necessary
By Ruthie Kesri The death of George Floyd in police custody last summer drew widespread outrage after a bystander’s viral video showed then-Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, a white 19-year veteran of the department, pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds as Floyd gasped for breath. Following an emotionally-charged three-week […]
Viral Injustice: COVID-19 is Disproportionately Impacting Incarcerated Population
By Annie Han The COVID-19 Pandemic has disproportionately impacted people incarcerated in the US with 28% of the current incarcerated population testing positive for the virus compared to 9% of the general population. These outbreaks in prisons present serious health risks to the incarcerated, staff, and communities surrounding them, and they have forced courts to […]
Virginia Sentencing Commission References Wilson Center Work, UVA Colleagues in Annual Report
By Chinmay Amin In its yearly report, the Virginia Sentencing Commission directly cited a recent paper co-authored by Wilson Center Director Brandon Garrett and colleagues John Monahan and Anne Metz. The Commission is a state judicial branch agency made up of 17 members — appointed by the Virginia governor, chief justice, and the legislative branch […]
Research Seeks to Assess How Eyewitness ID Speed is Interpreted Regarding Accuracy
By Ruthie Kesri Criminal justice is front and center this election season. Politicians across the country are increasingly aware of the need for reforms addressing the high risk of wrongful conviction within this system. “Eyewitness Identification Speed: Slow Identifications from Highly Confident Eyewitnesses Hurt Perceptions of Their Testimony,” is a paper authored by Chad S. […]
Houston Bail Monitor One-Year Report Shows Increased Releases, Reduced Use of Cash Bail
HOUSTON, T.X. – The independent monitors overseeing Harris County’s historic bail reform agreement filed their report describing their first year of work and findings with the federal court this week, noting an increase in releases, a reduced use of cash bail, no change or a decline in repeat-offending, and the implementation of a range of […]
The Key to Public Safety? Time, and Officers Need More of It
By Brandon Garrett I recently spoke to Washington state legislators about the proposed HB 1310, a bill introduced in January that concerns permissible uses of force by law enforcement and correctional officers. I explained, in brief remarks, that it has long been a pressing national issue that far too many people are killed in encounters […]
Online Conference Offers Scholars Maximum Feedback on Research
By Belle Allmendinger The Wilson Center and Duke Law’s Ben Grunwald hosted the inaugural Empirical Criminal Law Roundtable in December. “We are so pleased to have gathered together such an impressive and collegial group of scholars from across the country, to share their works in progress and provide feedback designed to improve the quality of […]