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Archive: May 2022

New Wilson Center Report Highlights 7-Year Evolution of Eyewitness Identification 

May 20, 2022

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 … Continue Reading →

Letter to White House: Criminal Justice AI Should Not be ‘Black Box’ or Non-Transparent

December 10, 2021

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 … Continue Reading →

#StartSmall Provides Wilson Center Almost $500,000 Gift to Fund Forensics Reform Work

September 10, 2021

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 … Continue Reading →

Reflecting on George Floyd’s Murder: Police Use of Force Policies Necessary

June 8, 2021

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 … Continue Reading →

Viral Injustice: COVID-19 is Disproportionately Impacting Incarcerated Population

April 20, 2021

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 … Continue Reading →

Virginia Sentencing Commission References Wilson Center Work, UVA Colleagues in Annual Report

March 10, 2021

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 … Continue Reading →

Research Seeks to Assess How Eyewitness ID Speed is Interpreted Regarding Accuracy

March 9, 2021

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 … Continue Reading →

Houston Bail Monitor One-Year Report Shows Increased Releases, Reduced Use of Cash Bail

March 8, 2021

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 … Continue Reading →

The Key to Public Safety? Time, and Officers Need More of It

February 11, 2021

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 … Continue Reading →

Online Conference Offers Scholars Maximum Feedback on Research

January 29, 2021

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, … Continue Reading →

New Mexico Supreme Court Raises Eyewitness ID Standards

December 14, 2020

The New Mexico Supreme Court recently cited Wilson Center research in a unanimous opinion that raises the standards for eyewitness identification under the state constitution.

The opinion in State v. Martinez affirmed a man’s convictions for killing two Santa Fe … Continue Reading →

Researchers Propose Reforms on Police Use of Force in U.S. in new Article

December 10, 2020

Wilson Center Director Brandon Garrett and Vanderbilt Law School Criminal Justice Director Christopher Slobogin released a new article today in the German Law Article, “The Law on Police Use of Force in the United States.”

The Abstract:

Recent events in … Continue Reading →