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New Jersey Man Dies Soon After Exonerated of Sex Offense
by Ed Lyon
"Watch out for the kids, he’s here,” was one of the hurtful comments Dion Harrell often overheard whenever he attended a neighborhood barbecue or get-together. In 1992, 22-year-old Harrell, an African American man, was wrongfully convicted of raping a 17-year-old girl, based on flawed eyewitness …
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More from this issue:
- The 10 Worst Sheriffs in America, by Nicole Audrey Spector
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Auditor Slams California ICE Facility That Released Detainees With COVID-19, by Edward Lyon
- Sen. Warren Investigation Exposes Broken Prison Accreditation System, by Jayson Hawkins
- Kentucky Consolidated Local Government Entitled to Sovereign Immunity, by David Reutter
- 25 Years of the AEDPA: Where do We Stand?, by Dale Chappell
- Prisoners Released Without COVID Tests Face Difficult Reentry, by Jayson Hawkins
- Pandemic Medical Update, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- Former Georgia Sheriff Deputies Denied Immunity in Criminal Case for Taser Death of Unarmed Man, by David Reutter
- Law Passes Requiring Parents in New York Prisons to be Housed Close to Their Children, by Kevin Bliss
- Mentally Ill Alabama Prisoner Dies in 101-Degree Cell, by Edward Lyon
- Trump Pardons Highlight System’s Flaws, by Jayson Hawkins
- Prioritizing Incarcerated People for Vaccine Quickly Reduced COVID in IL Prisons, by Brian Dolinar
- Massachusetts Medical Parole Cases and COVID-19 Prisoner Deaths, by Edward Lyon
- Class Action Lawsuit Over COVID at Chesapeake, MD Jail Reaches Settlement, by David Reutter
- DOJ: Florida Women’s Prison Subjects Prisoners to Unconstitutional Risk of Sexual Abuse, by Kevin Bliss, David Reutter
- New Hampshire Prisoner Sues to Enforce Conditions of Consent Decree, by David Reutter
- Connecticut Supermax Closing After Lawsuit Filed Seeking to Reduce Use of Solitary, by Anthony Accurso
- Court Orders In-Person Inspection of Michigan Facility to Determine COVID-19 Policy Compliance, by David Reutter
- Inspection Reports Reveal Filthy Conditions In Arizona Prison Kitchens, by Jimmy Jenkins
- Prison Overcrowding Continues During COVID-19 Pandemic, by Edward Lyon
- NY Prisoner Entitled to Release Upon Reaching Conditional Release Date, by David Reutter
- Kentucky Leases Closed Private Prison to Use as State Facility, by Edward Lyon
- Prisoners Find Their Voice in Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, by Edward Lyon
- Texas Republican Representative Proposes Renaming Prisons With Names Honoring Enslavers, Oppressors and Convict Leasers, by Matthew Clarke
- Draconian Use of Solitary Confinement in North Carolina, by Keith Sanders
- Inspector General Calls California Prison Reform Efforts a $10 Million Failure, by Matthew Clarke
- New Jersey Man Dies Soon After Exonerated of Sex Offense, by Edward Lyon
- Sixth Circuit Refuses to Extend Bivens to BOP Prisoner’s First Amendment Claims, by Mark Wilson
- Activism and Art Team Up to Abolish Mass Incarceration, by Keith Sanders
- Connecticut Prisoner Population Lowest in Over Three Decades Due to Coronavirus, by Douglas Ankney
- DWN Report Shows ICE Facilities Were Community Superspreaders of COVID-19, by Matthew Clarke
- State Prison System Takes Over County Jail, by Edward Lyon
- PA Lawsuit Claims Allegheny County Jail Sergeant Brutalized Disabled Women, by David Reutter
- GEO Group Puts Money, Lobbyist into Defeating Bill to Prohibit Private Prisons in Virginia, by David Reutter
- Six Howard County, Indiana Jail Guards Fired Over Sexual Assaults and Harassment of Prisoners, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
- Guard Commits Suicide Amidst Allegations in Federal Prison, by Jayson Hawkins
- Fourth Circuit Holds Immigrant Children’s Mental Health Care Should Be Up to Professional Standards, by David Reutter
- Federal Agencies Rack Up Nearly One Thousand Arrest-Related or In-Custody Deaths in Two Years, DOJ Report Finds, by David Reutter
- Pew Study Shows Crime Falls but Spending on Jails Soar, by David Reutter
- State Auditor Report Critical of Texas Prison Agribusiness, by Matthew Clarke
- Amending the 13th Amendment, by Edward Lyon
- Auditor Appalled at Lack of Spending Controls in Mississippi Prison System, by David Reutter
- Washington Gives Right to Vote to 20,000 People Previously Incarcerated, by Juliette LaMarr
- Pushing Back on Prison Labor, by Lilah Burke
- Fourth Circuit Holds Deaf Federal Civilly Committed Sex Offender Has First Amendment Right of Access to Point-to-Point Videocalls in BOP Prison, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Lawsuit in Prisoner Overdose at San Diego Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- Microsoft Invests in Digital Incarceration, by Jayson Hawkins
- Resources for Understanding Today’s Prison System, by Kevin Bliss
- NC Prisoner Survives Summary Judgment for Two Excessive Force Claims, by David Reutter
- Staff Shortages in Georgia Prisons Reach Crisis Levels, by Keith Sanders
- Colorado Grants COVID-19-Related Clemencies, by Edward Lyon
- U.S. DOJ Statistics on Race and Ethnicity of Violent Crime Perpetrators, by Matthew Clarke
- News in Brief
More from Edward Lyon:
- “There you go, Agent Orange!” Former South Carolina Sheriff Federally Indicted for Assaulting Jail Detainee, May 1, 2024
- Texas Prisons are Fire Traps, July 15, 2023
- The World’s Biggest Prison, July 15, 2023
- U.S. Prisoner Numbers Slowly Declining, June 15, 2023
- Civilian Police With Military Equipment, June 15, 2023
- California Easing Housing Hurdles for Released Prisoners, June 1, 2023
- Warden Ousted from Troubled Alabama Prison After DUI Arrest, May 1, 2023
- $20,000 Settlement for Ohio Prisoner’s Slip-and-Fall Injury, May 1, 2023
- $32,500 Medical Malpractice Award to Ohio Prisoner for Ripped-Out Catheter, May 1, 2023
- New York State’s Veterans Treatment Courts, April 15, 2023
More from these topics:
- Detroit Pays $5.8 Million to Former State Prisoner Exonerated of Murder After 15 Years, Aug. 1, 2026. Wrongful Conviction, Qualified Immunity, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Eyewitness Identification, Evidence - Failure to Disclose.
- $13 Million Awarded to Exonerated Illinois Prisoner Tortured to Confess by Corrupt Cops, Aug. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Certificate of Innocence, False Imprisonment, Confessions - Coerced.
- Louisiana Supreme Court Announces Framework Governing Factual Innocence Claims in First Application of La. C.Cr.P. Art. 926.2, Holding Second-Step Review Encompasses All Relevant Evidence, Aug. 1, 2026. Wrongful Conviction, Forensic Sciences, Actual Innocence/Claim of Innocence, Expert and Opinion Testimony, Scientific Testimony or Evidence.
- Conviction Tossed for Former Alabama Prisoner Paroled After 42 Years, July 1, 2026. Sex Offender Registration, Wrongful Conviction, Forensic Sciences, Eyewitness Identification, Brady Rule violations.
- Your DNA Was at the Scene, But You Weren’t: How Touch DNA Is Convicting the Innocent, June 1, 2026. DNA Testing/Samples, junk science, Wrongful Conviction, DNA Evidence, Evidence - Admissibility, Claim of Innocence.
- Jury Awards Over $24.4 Million to Kentucky Prisoner Exonerated After 22 Years, Bringing Total Payout for Him and Co-Defendant to Almost $45 Million, June 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Monell Liability, Fabrication of Evidence, Failure to Disclose.
- Sixth Circuit Upholds $10 Million Wrongful Conviction Verdict for Exonerated Michigan Prisoner, June 1, 2026. Wrongful Conviction, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Immunity - Absolute and Qualified, Damages - Compensatory, Failure to Disclose.
- Murder Convictions Tossed for Three Pennsylvania Prisoners After 28 Years, June 1, 2026. Wrongful Conviction, witness misidentification, Forensic Sciences, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of, Expert and Opinion Testimony.
- New York Prisoner, Paroled After 25 Years, Exonerated of Crime, June 1, 2026. Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Evidence - Failure to Disclose, Prosecutorial Threats, Brady/Giglio/Jencks Act Issues.
- Exonerated Texas Prisoner Entitled to $1.68 Million After 22 Years of Wrongful Incarceration, May 1, 2026. Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Actual Innocence/Claim of Innocence, Failure to Consult/Investigate/Raise, Expert and Opinion Testimony.

