Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice
@quattronecenter.org
National research and policy hub at the University of Pennsylvania, created to correct errors and catalyze long-term structural improvements to the US criminal justice system. Visit https://www.law.upenn.edu/institutes/quattronecenter/
Pinned
Just announced! The 2026 Spring Symposium will be from May 12-13 at @penncareylaw.bsky.social. Save the dates on your 📅 so you can join us for two incredible days of exploration and collaboration on the future of the criminal legal system.
A 13-year-old girl was expelled from school in Iowa after cookies she baked tested positive (erroneously) for marijuana. QC Asst. Director Ross Miller sat with KWQC to discuss the colorimetric field drug test that provided this false result and more.
Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/428kxt53
Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/428kxt53
February 12, 2026 at 3:33 PM
A 13-year-old girl was expelled from school in Iowa after cookies she baked tested positive (erroneously) for marijuana. QC Asst. Director Ross Miller sat with KWQC to discuss the colorimetric field drug test that provided this false result and more.
Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/428kxt53
Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/428kxt53
Bail reform works.
QC Academic Director Paul Heaton spoke this week at the @uh.edu Law Center on our research showing that bail reform in Harris County reduced pretrial detention, saved millions of dollars & prevented innocent defendants from being coerced into guilty pleas — while reducing crime.
QC Academic Director Paul Heaton spoke this week at the @uh.edu Law Center on our research showing that bail reform in Harris County reduced pretrial detention, saved millions of dollars & prevented innocent defendants from being coerced into guilty pleas — while reducing crime.
February 10, 2026 at 10:37 PM
Bail reform works.
QC Academic Director Paul Heaton spoke this week at the @uh.edu Law Center on our research showing that bail reform in Harris County reduced pretrial detention, saved millions of dollars & prevented innocent defendants from being coerced into guilty pleas — while reducing crime.
QC Academic Director Paul Heaton spoke this week at the @uh.edu Law Center on our research showing that bail reform in Harris County reduced pretrial detention, saved millions of dollars & prevented innocent defendants from being coerced into guilty pleas — while reducing crime.
We agree with Michigan SADO Director Marilena David — in order to have justice, our criminal legal system must focus on accuracy in the law. Learn how our Sentinel Event Review process bridges the gap between previous wrongdoings and future best practices today: https://tinyurl.com/4vtuak3w
February 10, 2026 at 2:00 PM
We agree with Michigan SADO Director Marilena David — in order to have justice, our criminal legal system must focus on accuracy in the law. Learn how our Sentinel Event Review process bridges the gap between previous wrongdoings and future best practices today: https://tinyurl.com/4vtuak3w
Registration is open! Use the link below to secure your spot at the 2026 Spring Symposium, happening May 12-13 at @penncareylaw.bsky.social.
The Symposium is open to all at no cost, but space is limited, so be among the first to secure your spot today: https://cvent.me/WO9qgn
The Symposium is open to all at no cost, but space is limited, so be among the first to secure your spot today: https://cvent.me/WO9qgn
February 9, 2026 at 4:14 PM
Registration is open! Use the link below to secure your spot at the 2026 Spring Symposium, happening May 12-13 at @penncareylaw.bsky.social.
The Symposium is open to all at no cost, but space is limited, so be among the first to secure your spot today: https://cvent.me/WO9qgn
The Symposium is open to all at no cost, but space is limited, so be among the first to secure your spot today: https://cvent.me/WO9qgn
New reporting from the Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board reveals that California law enforcement is much more likely to use force on unhoused individuals when stopped. @sfchronicle.com reports on what this near 30-point discrepancy says about homelessness and crime in America:
California police are far more likely to use force against homeless residents, new data shows
While most drivers are stopped because over traffic violations, 64.8% of the stops of homeless residents were based on “reasonable suspicion” — a less-demanding standard.
www.sfchronicle.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:00 PM
New reporting from the Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board reveals that California law enforcement is much more likely to use force on unhoused individuals when stopped. @sfchronicle.com reports on what this near 30-point discrepancy says about homelessness and crime in America:
Fordham University (@fordham.edu) presents "The Law’s Blind Spots," a full-day program on February 13 (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.). Law and psychology experts will discuss improving the justice system by reducing outdated assumptions about human cognition and behavior. View agenda and register:
The Law's Blind Spots: A Conversation on Outdated Legal Assumptions in Light of Cognitive Science
The Law's Blind Spots: A Conversation on Outdated Legal Assumptions in Light of Cognitive Science
tinyurl.com
February 5, 2026 at 3:30 PM
Fordham University (@fordham.edu) presents "The Law’s Blind Spots," a full-day program on February 13 (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.). Law and psychology experts will discuss improving the justice system by reducing outdated assumptions about human cognition and behavior. View agenda and register:
Under a new law, Maryland counties are required to pay half of all wrongful conviction compensation payouts, creating added hurdles for exonerees seeking recompense for their time behind bars. New reporting from @thebaltimorebanner.com explores how:
Maryland law change is making it harder to get compensation for wrongful convictions
A provision included in one of the budget bills in 2025 requires counties to now pay half of any compensation — even though state’s attorneys are independent elected officials.
www.thebanner.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Under a new law, Maryland counties are required to pay half of all wrongful conviction compensation payouts, creating added hurdles for exonerees seeking recompense for their time behind bars. New reporting from @thebaltimorebanner.com explores how:
Author Rick Tulsky will discuss his book Injustice Town, detailing Lamonte McIntyre's wrongful conviction and Kansas City's failed justice system, at the Free Library of Philadelphia on February 9 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
View details and register: https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/162147
View details and register: https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/162147
Events: Injustice Town: A Corrupt City, a Wrongly Convicted Man, and a Struggle for Freedom | Rick Tulsky
Event held in Parkway Centrals Skyline Room (take the Gold Elevators from the Lobby to the 4th Floor)
Hosted in partnership with WHYY, WURD-Radio, and WHYYs Bridging Blocks Program.
Injustice Town:...
libwww.freelibrary.org
February 3, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Author Rick Tulsky will discuss his book Injustice Town, detailing Lamonte McIntyre's wrongful conviction and Kansas City's failed justice system, at the Free Library of Philadelphia on February 9 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
View details and register: https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/162147
View details and register: https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/162147
An important new report from @rand.org cites QC's Sentinel Event Review findings in establishing guidance for how protest organizers and law enforcement agencies can ensure that protests remain peaceful:
Practical Guidance for Ensuring Peaceful Protests
This report presents strategies and considerations for community protest organizers and law enforcement to promote peaceful protests and demonstrations, with an emphasis on the role of community engag...
www.rand.org
January 30, 2026 at 4:08 PM
An important new report from @rand.org cites QC's Sentinel Event Review findings in establishing guidance for how protest organizers and law enforcement agencies can ensure that protests remain peaceful:
Last week, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated The Alabama Solution for Best Documentary Feature! We were honored to host a screening of this film — chronicling the abuse and neglect taking place in Alabama's prisons — with Penn Law Toll Public Interest Center last November.
January 27, 2026 at 10:20 PM
Last week, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated The Alabama Solution for Best Documentary Feature! We were honored to host a screening of this film — chronicling the abuse and neglect taking place in Alabama's prisons — with Penn Law Toll Public Interest Center last November.
Why are judges rejecting prosecutorial admissions of error in wrongful conviction cases? Dive into this tension with Quattrone Center Executive Director @tcita.bsky.social, Kelly Bauder, Lara A. Bazelon, and Sunny Eaton in this @americanbar.org webinar on Thursday, January 29:
Prosecutorial Confessions of Error and The Rise of Judicial Pushback | American Bar Association
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...
learningcenter.americanbar.org
January 23, 2026 at 3:30 PM
Why are judges rejecting prosecutorial admissions of error in wrongful conviction cases? Dive into this tension with Quattrone Center Executive Director @tcita.bsky.social, Kelly Bauder, Lara A. Bazelon, and Sunny Eaton in this @americanbar.org webinar on Thursday, January 29:
In a recent University of Colorado Law Review article, Seema Saifee, our former research fellow, explores how those most affected by mass criminalization and incarceration can uncover new approaches and solutions to systemic flaws in criminal law and policy.
Learn more:
Learn more:
Aggregation at the Bottom – University of Colorado
tinyurl.com
January 22, 2026 at 3:13 PM
In a recent University of Colorado Law Review article, Seema Saifee, our former research fellow, explores how those most affected by mass criminalization and incarceration can uncover new approaches and solutions to systemic flaws in criminal law and policy.
Learn more:
Learn more:
Reposted by Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice
BREAKING: 70 years after his wrongful execution, Tommy Lee Walker is declared innocent.
“The court’s declaration today provides some semblance of belated justice to Mr. Walker’s legacy, and to his son, our client Edward Smith,” said Chris Fabricant. https://bit.ly/3LVoOKA
“The court’s declaration today provides some semblance of belated justice to Mr. Walker’s legacy, and to his son, our client Edward Smith,” said Chris Fabricant. https://bit.ly/3LVoOKA
Tommy Lee Walker Declared Innocent 70 Years After His Execution
Dallas County Commissioners Court posthumously proclaimed Mr. Walker’s innocence in the 1954 racially-fueled capital murder case.
innocenceproject.org
January 21, 2026 at 7:00 PM
BREAKING: 70 years after his wrongful execution, Tommy Lee Walker is declared innocent.
“The court’s declaration today provides some semblance of belated justice to Mr. Walker’s legacy, and to his son, our client Edward Smith,” said Chris Fabricant. https://bit.ly/3LVoOKA
“The court’s declaration today provides some semblance of belated justice to Mr. Walker’s legacy, and to his son, our client Edward Smith,” said Chris Fabricant. https://bit.ly/3LVoOKA
According to the Real Time Crime Index, 2025 brought the largest one-year drop in crime in American history. Experts found significant declines in homicides (20%), motor vehicle theft (23%), aggravated assault (8%), and more.
January 21, 2026 at 6:30 PM
According to the Real Time Crime Index, 2025 brought the largest one-year drop in crime in American history. Experts found significant declines in homicides (20%), motor vehicle theft (23%), aggravated assault (8%), and more.
Florida's law halted a state conviction integrity unit's review of Ronnie Ferrell's 1993 murder conviction, which relied on testimony from a witness known for lying under oath. Our senior advisor, John Hollway, commented on the process in @jaxtrib.org.
Read more: tinyurl.com/4nd7dmep
Read more: tinyurl.com/4nd7dmep
January 15, 2026 at 4:01 PM
Florida's law halted a state conviction integrity unit's review of Ronnie Ferrell's 1993 murder conviction, which relied on testimony from a witness known for lying under oath. Our senior advisor, John Hollway, commented on the process in @jaxtrib.org.
Read more: tinyurl.com/4nd7dmep
Read more: tinyurl.com/4nd7dmep
Just announced! The 2026 Spring Symposium will be from May 12-13 at @penncareylaw.bsky.social. Save the dates on your 📅 so you can join us for two incredible days of exploration and collaboration on the future of the criminal legal system.
January 14, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Just announced! The 2026 Spring Symposium will be from May 12-13 at @penncareylaw.bsky.social. Save the dates on your 📅 so you can join us for two incredible days of exploration and collaboration on the future of the criminal legal system.
Rob and Michelle Reiner shared a deep friendship with Nanon Williams, a man spending life in prison for a murder he has always maintained he didn't commit. In the wake of their passing, Nanon shares with NBC News how the Reiners' support, love, and advocacy comforted him in his fight for freedom.
He was sentenced to death. Rob and Michele Reiner loved him like a son.
Nanon Williams was sent to death row for a murder he says he didn't commit. Decades later, through daily emails and weekly prison calls, the Reiners became family.
www.nbcnews.com
January 13, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Rob and Michelle Reiner shared a deep friendship with Nanon Williams, a man spending life in prison for a murder he has always maintained he didn't commit. In the wake of their passing, Nanon shares with NBC News how the Reiners' support, love, and advocacy comforted him in his fight for freedom.
A 2025 @gallup.com poll found that just 16% of Americans believe that our prison system successfully rehabilitates incarcerated people — nearly unchanged in the last 25 years. Americans also say prisons do a poor job of keeping incarcerated people safe while inside.
news.gallup.com/poll/697472/...
news.gallup.com/poll/697472/...
January 13, 2026 at 4:47 PM
A 2025 @gallup.com poll found that just 16% of Americans believe that our prison system successfully rehabilitates incarcerated people — nearly unchanged in the last 25 years. Americans also say prisons do a poor job of keeping incarcerated people safe while inside.
news.gallup.com/poll/697472/...
news.gallup.com/poll/697472/...
The National Association of Medical Examiners warns the "questionable" lung float test for live birth has "known pitfalls," especially after its use in criminal cases. Here’s why:
Medical Examiners Warn That Controversial Lung Float Test Could Be Dangerous
An exam meant to determine whether a baby was born dead or alive is of “questionable value,” the National Association of Medical Examiners cautions. The paper follows a ProPublica report on how the te...
www.propublica.org
January 12, 2026 at 3:30 PM
The National Association of Medical Examiners warns the "questionable" lung float test for live birth has "known pitfalls," especially after its use in criminal cases. Here’s why:
In a moving @nytimes.com piece this week, Bryan Kohberger’s sister Mel discussed her family's experience after her brother was arrested for the murders of four college students in Idaho last year.
Her Brother Pleaded Guilty to the Idaho Murders. Now She’s Ready to Talk.
www.nytimes.com
January 7, 2026 at 6:20 PM
In a moving @nytimes.com piece this week, Bryan Kohberger’s sister Mel discussed her family's experience after her brother was arrested for the murders of four college students in Idaho last year.
When QC Senior Advisor John Hollway presented at the 2025 TedXPenn Conference last March, he discussed how sentinel event reviews allow a "blame-free" investigation into how an undesired outcome in the criminal legal system happened — creating a roadmap to prevent future ones.
January 5, 2026 at 3:16 PM
When QC Senior Advisor John Hollway presented at the 2025 TedXPenn Conference last March, he discussed how sentinel event reviews allow a "blame-free" investigation into how an undesired outcome in the criminal legal system happened — creating a roadmap to prevent future ones.
Public records reveal that the officer who killed Tamir Rice was recently hired by two police departments in West Virginia. Following Rice's death, former employers have labelled the officer unfit for law enforcement — pointing to his record of insubordination and poor handgun performance.
Officer Who Killed 12-Year-Old Tamir Rice Just Got Two More Police Jobs in West Virginia — Dragline
Public outcry erupted last July when news broke that Timothy Loehmann – the man who killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in a Cleveland park in 2014 – was hired as a police officer by the City of White Sulph...
www.dragline.org
December 30, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Public records reveal that the officer who killed Tamir Rice was recently hired by two police departments in West Virginia. Following Rice's death, former employers have labelled the officer unfit for law enforcement — pointing to his record of insubordination and poor handgun performance.
Reposted by Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice
I'm not great about tooting my own horn. But as an independent journalist whose work is reliant on contributions from my readers, it's part of the job.
So here's a post and thread on my work over the last year and beyond -- and why you, reader, should subscribe.
(Plus, shameless dog photos!)
So here's a post and thread on my work over the last year and beyond -- and why you, reader, should subscribe.
(Plus, shameless dog photos!)
The roundup -- and a request for your support
My year-end pitch for your paid subscription
radleybalko.substack.com
December 29, 2025 at 4:12 PM
I'm not great about tooting my own horn. But as an independent journalist whose work is reliant on contributions from my readers, it's part of the job.
So here's a post and thread on my work over the last year and beyond -- and why you, reader, should subscribe.
(Plus, shameless dog photos!)
So here's a post and thread on my work over the last year and beyond -- and why you, reader, should subscribe.
(Plus, shameless dog photos!)
Applications for the Quattrone Center Fellowship at @penncareylaw.bsky.social are due this Wednesday! Don't miss this special opportunity to grow your career as a researcher and expert in criminal legal reform.
Apply today: www.law.upenn.edu/institutes/q...
Apply today: www.law.upenn.edu/institutes/q...
December 29, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Applications for the Quattrone Center Fellowship at @penncareylaw.bsky.social are due this Wednesday! Don't miss this special opportunity to grow your career as a researcher and expert in criminal legal reform.
Apply today: www.law.upenn.edu/institutes/q...
Apply today: www.law.upenn.edu/institutes/q...
Earlier this month, @hennepinatty.bsky.social released its conviction integrity unit dashboard — providing transparency into the agency's commitment to reviewing applications and acting on potential wrongful convictions.
Hennepin County Attorney's Office launches public dashboard as conviction integrity unit reviews cases
The unit has supported relief in a small number of cases, including one that resulted in a full exoneration earlier this year.
www.kare11.com
December 23, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Earlier this month, @hennepinatty.bsky.social released its conviction integrity unit dashboard — providing transparency into the agency's commitment to reviewing applications and acting on potential wrongful convictions.