Shacoby Kenny. Say his name. #bospoli #ShutDownSouthBay "He wanted more out of life, a job, a family, stability, and purpose. He longed to build a future and to be understood for who he truly was." His family deserves answers and a public acknowledgment, @wutrain.bsky.social @ruthzee.bsky.social.

Hey @wutrain.bsky.social, @ruthzee.bsky.social—a 32-year-old held on $2500 bail was beaten to death by COs in your city's jail last Sunday. Thank you to @clrhenrysantana.bsky.social for this statement (bsky.app/profile/clrh...). Where are yours? Where is your outrage? #bospoli #ShutDownSouthBay

My latest for GBH about the protest yesterday calling for transparency and complete shutdown of the Suffolk County House of Correction following the in-custody death of Shacoby Kenny.

Why are prosecutors trying to stop DNA testing (that we are paying for) when it could lead to more reliable answers, both for those wrongfully convicted & crime survivors? If prosecutors were so certain about these convictions, why fight our truth-seeking efforts so hard? Denial is not justice.

Why are prosecutors trying to stop DNA testing (that we are paying for) when it could lead to more reliable answers, both for those wrongfully convicted & crime survivors? If prosecutors were so certain about these convictions, why fight our truth-seeking efforts so hard? Denial is not justice.

From exposing the role of jails in Trump's deportation agenda to examining the state of youth confinement, 2025 was a busy year for PPI. Here are some of our most important reports, briefings, & advocacy partnerships over the last 12 months 🧵

No state should have laws that prevent innocent people from overturning their convictions. New Hampshire has the chance to make this change now. www.concordmonitor.com/2025/12/11/m...

Patricia Jehlen, the long-time #Massachusetts state senator, announced in her newsletter Tuesday that she won't run for reelection in 2026. Jehlen has been an advocate for providing financial compensation to victims of wrongful convictions. I wrote about her most recent bill on the subject here.

Held pretrial on a cash bail, presumed innocent, and now killed. Amplifying messaging from the Mass Bail Fund on actions you can take about this tragedy and the systemic failures.

NEW: My lawyer told a judge on Dec. 3 that Northwestern DA David Sullivan’s office is legally required to disclose the names and case numbers of cops who have been charged with crimes like possession of child pornography, assault and battery, and driving under the influence. #Massachusetts #mapoli

“Seven years, four months, and six days. That is the length of time the #Boston Police Department allowed an internal affairs (IA) case to linger before finally disciplining an officer accused of lying on the job and numerous other infractions.” #Massachusetts #mapoli

Having a two tier system of justice means having one group of people who are protected by the law without being bound by it and a second group who are bound by the law without being protected by it.

The @newenglandinnocence.org Exoneree Network + YardTimeinc. are collecting toys for children with incarcerated loved ones. From 12/1 - 12/19, they will accept donations of: 🎁 new toys for kids ages 0-17 🎁 gift cards 🎁 wrapping and gift bags More info: www.newenglandinnocence.org/innocence-bl...

The Exoneree Network is expanding our healing work after a powerful year of freedom, but we need your help. This #GivingTuesday, your donation ensures our community members don’t have to heal and rebuild alone. And now through 12/31, every gift is doubled. Give today: secure.qgiv.com/for/newengla...

ICE is horrific...and also an extension of how policing has always worked, not a radical break from it.

Can #Massachusetts prosecutors hide the names of cops who are charged with crimes? My attorney and I will be at Suffolk County Superior Court on Wednesday to argue that the answer is no. You can read about my pending lawsuit here:

Help us send 2,000 books to readers who are incarcerated this winter through our Books Not Bars program

“While … sheriff budgets receive new scrutiny due to high-profile instances of alleged misconduct, the Legislature and the public should be equally concerned with the underlying policy goals of this spending: human caging, disproportionately of Black and Hispanic people who are presumed innocent.“

“Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox won’t face a disciplinary review over his comments on the #KarenRead case, the state’s police oversight board said Thursday, responding to a call to action from Read attorney Alan Jackson.” #Boston

Just another example of the recklessness of "law enforcement," this time to traumatize a *high school* judicial intern inside a courthouse. Government officials should never have immunity for the harms they inflict on people. www-wpri-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.wpri...

ICE’s Detention Center outside Chicago was sued on October 30 for allegedly abusing detainees. One day later, a "system crash" lost all video footage that could have shown how detainees were being treated. trib.al/QwT3aqI

Boston OPAT sent a letter to BPD Commissioner Cox lamenting "'widespread refusal' by officers and employees to engage in interviews or cooperate with investigations." And also decried Cox's failure to "respect[] the recommendations made by [OPAT] in regards to discipline matters...” #mapoli #bospoli

NEW: Victor Rosario spent 32 years behind bars for a crime he says he did not commit before a judge overturned his convictions. More than a decade after his release, he returned to MCI Norfolk as a free man. There, he shared a walk—and a message of hope—with his old friends. #Massachusetts

Now that the Massachusetts State Police was found by a jury to discriminate on the basis of race and sex against its own staff, what might that mean for women and people of color accused of crimes by the State Police?

The judge indicated that “…this unusual series of events, still not fully explained by the prosecutor’s declaration, calls into question the presumption of regularity generally associated with grand jury proceedings….” Some lament the destruction of the presumption of regularity. We say: Finally!

a big runoff last night, in New Orleans: Calvin Duncan was exonerated after spending *28 years* in prison; he tried to get his own case records from the New Orleans city clerk—but the office dragged its feet. So Duncan ran to become city clerk himself, and yesterday ousted the incumbent.

The vast range of prison rules makes it nearly impossible to avoid infractions – and the punishments are horrific Should people really face solitary confinement–a form of torture–for receiving a minor violation behind bars? www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/disc...

Official misconduct is found in the vast majority of wrongful convictions out of Boston. These allegations reveal a culture of covering up misconduct rather than holding officers accountable. Lies in police reports, like the ones here, cause people to lose their freedom, family, & lives. Shameful.

Official misconduct is found in the vast majority of wrongful convictions out of Boston. These allegations reveal a culture of covering up misconduct rather than holding officers accountable. Lies in police reports, like the ones here, cause people to lose their freedom, family, & lives. Shameful.

So-called conviction integrity units have been deeply disappointing, not only for their failure to undo individual injustices but their refusal to confront systemic ones. We can not rely on prosecutors to voluntarily pursue justice, but we continue to demand justice from all who stand in its way.

BREAKING: Mark Wolf, appointed to the federal bench by Ronald Reagan, writes that he is resigning as a judge to have the freedom to speak out against the president's assault on the rule of law. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

Prosecutors will not retry a man who spent more than 25 years in prison for a murder in Boston. Rickey “FuQuan” McGee was released from prison last month in light of new evidence. He will now remain free. https://bit.ly/3XgSHXH

Food behind bars often fails to meet the standards of basic nutrition.

Courts have been described as a check on the govt. And we have certainly seen that in some cases. But more often, courts refuse to hold the government accountable and instead endorse its cruelest acts. The Supreme Court’s decisions should dismantle all myths of it as an objective/just institution.

Government propaganda has always been used to justify police & prisons. Fear can work. It’s what leads us to still invest in prisons when they don’t keep us safe. But we have also seen that it is possible to see through lies and myths. We can choose hope & humanity. We can choose community instead.

As our community members fight their wrongful convictions, these are the appalling conditions they suffer. The irony is that the Department of Correction preaches accountability to its residents but demonstrates little for itself and its staff. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...

Tonight is the fifth annual Jammin’ for Justice benefit concert in #Somerville, which raises money to send #Massachusetts exonerees to the Innocence Network Conference in Chicago. Some of the musicians are exonerees or lawyers for exonerees. www.newenglandinnocence.org/innocence-bl...

Some good news! “Boston City Council has voted unanimously to ban its government from using facial recognition technology, including the police department, making it the largest city on the East Coast to do so.” www.builtinboston.com/articles/bos...

UPDATE: Rickey “FuQuan” McGee’s 1998 murder conviction was overturned from the bench by Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Michael Ricciuti earlier this morning. I'll have a story with the judge’s stunning comments out soon. #Boston #Massachusetts

“A wrongfully convicted man who spent 15 years in prison is suing the city of #Boston and several former police detectives, alleging they framed him for murder nearly 50 years ago.” #Massachusetts

There’s a principle called the presumption of regularity: it means that courts presume that the government will act lawfully and in good faith. With what we know about official misconduct leading to wrongful convictions and what we are seeing now, maybe it’s time to revisit this presumption.

The presumption of *irregularity,* coming soon to a courthouse near you...

NEW: After spending 28 years in prison for a murder he says he did not commit, Rickey “FuQuan” McGee stepped out of the John Adams Courthouse in #Boston surrounded by dozens of jubilant supporters on October 14. “I’m going to live incredibly,” McGee told the crowd as he held his fiancée and mother.

There’s a principle called the presumption of regularity: it means that courts presume that the government will act lawfully and in good faith. With what we know about official misconduct leading to wrongful convictions and what we are seeing now, maybe it’s time to revisit this presumption.

We are thrilled that Fuquan is home after 28 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Outstanding lawyering by Jeff Harris and Jill Tessier. Let’s keep going until we are all free! www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/14/m...

People really have no idea how violent, cruel, and intentionally torturous American jails and prisons are. And most people in American jails have never been convicted of a crime.

Last week, we commemorated #WrongfulConvictionDay. Eddie Wright, the newest MA exoneree, spoke about the impact of his 41 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. We also lifted up the names & cases of some of the people still fighting for their freedom today. This piece captures the day well.

Last week, we commemorated #WrongfulConvictionDay. Eddie Wright, the newest MA exoneree, spoke about the impact of his 41 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. We also lifted up the names & cases of some of the people still fighting for their freedom today. This piece captures the day well.

NEW: Edward “Eddie” Wright spent 41 years in prison after he was convicted of murdering his friend, a crime he said he had nothing to do with. But on Wednesday, he joined his lawyers and other advocates outside the #Massachusetts State House to call for an end to wrongful convictions. #mapoli