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Criminal Informant Law, Policy, and Research

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Innocence

Bulk arrests and convictions based on unreliable informants

April 12, 2020 by Alexandra Natapoff

This story from Tennessee reminded me of the high profile snitch debacle in Hearne, Texas in which a confidential informant working for the local drug task force set up dozens of innocent African Americans.  Similarly, in Tracy City, Tennessee, the city and the police department are being sued by an innocent couple who–along with 29 other people–were set up by an unsupervised drug informant.  Here is an excerpt from the story:

“Tina Prater walked into the police station with a reputation as a drug addict and a con artist. She walked out with a tape recorder, some cash and a mission: help the police chief arrest anyone whose name made it onto their list. Prater, 47, has admitted in a sworn affidavit that she framed people while working as a confidential informant for the Tracy City Police Department in 2017. She recruited imposters to act as other people, recorded audio of purported drug deals and turned the tapes over to Chief Charlie Wilder, who oversees just four officers in one of Tennessee’s poorest and most drug-addicted counties.”

And here is another story just like these two, in which a Florida drug informant admitted that she set up innocent people by fabricating drug deals: she did it in exchange for money, a home, and custody of her children.

Filed Under: Drug-related, Dynamics of Snitching, Innocence, Reliability

Former police chief and prosecutor on the dangers of snitching in USA Today

September 15, 2019 by Alexandra Natapoff

Here is an important op-ed in USA Today from Miriam Krinsky and Ronal Serpas: “Stop letting prosecutors get away with threatening murder.” They chronicle the misuse of informants by law enforcment in Orange County and across the country.  About Orange Country, they write:

“Prosecutors used informants to do what would have been illegal for them to do directly — question individuals awaiting trial without their lawyer present and, even worse, use threats of murder and violence to coerce confessions. . . . These practices fly in the face of the fundamental duty of prosecutors: to seek truth and pursue justice.”

Krinsky is a former federal prosecutor and now the Executive Director of Fair and Just Prosecution.  Serpas is former Chief of Police for New Orleans and now Professor of Criminology at Loyola University.

Filed Under: Informant Crime, Innocence, Jailhouse Informants, Police, Prosecutors

Connecticut Adopts Nation’s First Statewide System to Track Jailhouse Witnesses

July 29, 2019 by Michelle Feldman

This month Connecticut’s governor signed a new law that will establish the first statewide tracking system for jailhouse witness testimony. This measure will help improve transparency and weed out false statements from inmates who expect leniency or other benefits for their cooperation.

Each prosecutor’s office in the state will be required to maintain a record of the substance and use of jailhouse witness testimony and any benefits that have been or may be provided. The Governor’s Office of Policy and Management will collect the data from every office so that prosecutors can see if a potential jailhouse witness offered similar testimony in other jurisdictions and whether that testimony was reliable. If the prosecutor introduces the statements, previous jailhouse witness activity would be disclosed to the defense.

In addition, SB 1098 requires:

  • Prompt disclosures of jailhouse witness evidence: Within 45 days of the defense filing a request, the prosecution must disclose specific evidence on jailhouse witnesses including: benefits offered for their testimony, their criminal history and other cases in which they acted as jailhouse witnesses.
  • Pre-trial hearings: For rape and murder cases, judges must hold a hearing to screen out unreliable jailhouse witness testimony before it is heard by the jury.
Learn more about the new law in this article.

posted by Michelle Feldman

Filed Under: Guest blogger, Innocence, Jailhouse Informants, Legislation, Reliability

Welcome legislative blogger Michelle Feldman

May 23, 2018 by Alexandra Natapoff

I am happy to announce that Michelle Feldman is joining the blog as co-curator of the legislation section.  Feldman is the Legislative Strategist at the Innocence Project and has been involved in numerous informant reform efforts across the country.  She is highly knowledgeable and will bring expertise and up-to-date insight to the blog.  We are lucky to have her!

Filed Under: Guest blogger, Innocence

Nebraska considered jailhouse informant reform

May 17, 2018 by Alexandra Natapoff

Earlier this year, Nebraska introduced legislation that would have enhanced protections against unreliable jailhouse informants, including reliability hearings, enhanced disclosure requirements, and mechanisms to keep track of the government’s use of such informants.  The text of the bill (which is currently on hold) is here; story in the Lincoln Journal Star is here. 

Filed Under: Innocence, Jailhouse Informants, Legislation

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