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Summarize the case of Jonathan Barr

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On November 19, 1991, Cateresa Matthews (14 years old) left her grandmother's house in Dixmoor, Illinois and went missing until December 8, 1991. She was found running near I-57. She was shot in the mouth at close range and was a clear victim of sexual assault and she was naked from the waist down. She was very clearly raped after tests were done on her.

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On October 20, 1992, Keno Barnes (15 years old) had informed the police that Jonathan Barr told him when he last saw Cateresa she was getting into a car with Robert Lee Veal and Robert Taylor. Veal was brought into questioning and had signed a handwritten statement, implicating himself, Jonathan Barr, Robert Taylor, Shainne Sharp, and James Harden in the gang rape and murder of Matthews. Taylor and Sharp did the same though their confessions contradicted each other. Before any of them were tried, the Illinois State Police crime lab found a lone male DNA profile from sperm on the victim's body and the prosecution didn't even seek the source of the semen recovered.

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The crime occurred between November 19, 1991 and December 8, 1991. The investigation occurred between October 20, 1992 and June 1994.

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Barr was convicted February 13, 1997 for rape and murder of Matthews and was sentenced 85 years.

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Barr served for 14 years and was exonerated on November 3, 2011.

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F. Why wasn't DNA analysis used in the first place?

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F. Why wasn't DNA analysis used in the first place?

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The Illinois State Police crime lab had found a male DNA profile from sperm collected from Matthews and they chose not to seek where the source was from. During the trial a post-conviction request for DNA testing had been denied. In August of 2009 Harden, Taylor and Barr again requested DNA testing and for over a year the Dixmoor Police Department claimed they were unable to locate the DNA. After investigation the Cook County Judge found the evidence and was matched to a violent serial killer named Willie Randolph.

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I personally think this case was heartbreaking. Barr was so young and was behind bars for 11 years during his child for a crime he had nothing to do with. The fact that they had the DNA evidence right in front of them and chose not to look further into it and use that to find the real suspect blows my mind. It makes me wonder why they would hide this evidence for so long and not use it for justice.

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Barr was represented by the Innocence Project and had been compensated. He was given a certificate of innocence, civil suit, private bill, state statue and $208,000 in state compensation.

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The Innocence Project

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The purpose of the Innocence Project was founded in 1992 and its purpose is to exonerate wrongly convicted suspects of crimes using DNA testing. They work to bring justice to the large number of people who remain incarcerated. They represent clients who seek post-conviction DNA testing to help prove their innocence.

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1. Personal opinion about the national effort to halt all executions in which DNA evidence has not been analyzed.

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1. Personal opinion about the national effort to halt all executions in which DNA evidence has not been analyzed.

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I think that this national effort is very important and should be put into place. Clearly there are extreme amounts of falsely accused people due to the fact that no DNA evidence had been analyzed in cases. Therefore, no suspect shall be executed if there was no DNA analysis done as there is an increasing chance that this person did not commit the crime they are being held for. Evidence needs to be found in order to proceed.

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B. The Innocence Project's role in Policy Reform

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B. The Innocence Project's role in Policy Reform

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The Innocence Project's role in Policy Reform is involved in working with Congress, local leaders and state legislators to pass laws and policies in order to prevent these large numbers of wrongful convictions. They work to bring justice to the innocent by providing better tools to catch the real suspects and avoid wrongful arrests. It gives people the right to access to post-conviction DNA testing. This all helps people have more confidence in our Judicial System.

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3. How does the Justice system compensate people who were wrongly imprisoned in that state?

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3. How does the Justice system compensate people who were wrongly imprisoned in that state?

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The Justice system compensates people who were wrongfully imprisoned in the state of Illinois by getting money compensation and statues from the state. Though there have been issues with people getting their compensations that are very crucial for their lives. They have to go through a long process in order to receive this compensation including getting a certificate of innocence.

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2. Compensation for wrongful imprisonment laws in the state the crime was committed.

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2. Compensation for wrongful imprisonment laws in the state the crime was committed.

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Illinois passed a bill on July 30th which explained that they "will provide tuition assistance for residents who have been wrongfully convicted and exonerated" (Innocence Project). They currently provide $85,350 to people serving up to 5 years, $170,000 to people serving between 5 and 14 years, and $199,150 for people serving over 14 year. They will provide job search, re-entry services and placement services. They will help with housing, food, psychological counseling, medical and dental care, job skills training, education and any other related assistance.

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C. The Innocence Project's role in Education

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C. The Innocence Project's role in Education

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Their science and research team works together to use data to seek patterns in these wrongful conviction cases to help reform. They work to improve "the accuracy and reliability of forensic science," (Innocence Project). They work to encourage the validity of forensic disciplines, research and national standards and training.

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4. How do you think the Justice system should compensate people who were wrongly imprisoned?

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4. How do you think the Justice system should compensate people who were wrongly imprisoned?

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I think that the Justice system should compensate people who have been wrongly imprisoned through money and lots of programs in order to help them get back on their feet. The money value should be high and be dependent on how may years they served. The programs to help them hold include healthcare, job opportunities, education, housing, insurance, transportation, counseling, and ways to help clear the bad image connected to their name. These people should have the best opportunity to get their lives back on track.

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5. How would you feel if you had been wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for a crime you did not commit?

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5. How would you feel if you had been wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for a crime you did not commit?

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If I had been wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for a crime I did not commit I would feel so useless and lose all hope in our Justice system. I would feel helpless as all of the evidence they used had ultimately led them to convict me, an innocent person, of a crime I had nothing to do with. My life would be wasted and I would be heartbroken as I could never get that time back.

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https://www.innocenceproject.org/cases/jonathan-barr/
https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3840
https://lifeafterinnocence.wordpress.com/clients/jonathan-barr/
https://www.pjstar.com/news/20170504/illinois-legislation-would-ensure-payment-to-wrongfully-convicted

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https://www.innocenceproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/89c15ae2-e78c-4dc8-ac0b-820b8dc6ffa7.jpeg
https://mylifeofcrime.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/dixmoor-five.jpg
https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/lfODxQTY9_X6TA6UuiNxGA--~B/aD03MjA7dz0xMjgwO3NtPTE7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/video/video.wls.abc.news.com/8abe2496ab96c358a6d431fee30bb8b9
https://cbsnews3.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2016/09/01/1f7ffe2e-15bc-498a-b15c-c3035b72de9f/thumbnail/1200x630/def75226bb2d21bb388f8aa1ec3e071d/willie-randolph.jpg
https://www.law.northwestern.edu/legalclinic/wrongfulconvictions/exonerations/graphics/ilbarrj.jpg
https://cdn.abcotvs.com/dip/images/140201_wls_062514_dixmoor5_vid.jpg?w=800&r=16%3A9
https://beta.innocenceproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/innocence-project-Rebrand-logo-madeo-2019-white.jpg
https://this.deakin.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/dna-analysis-1.jpg
https://static.law.unc.edu/images/image.ashx?id=4f5668bd9012cf0ec0201e1a
https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5ba2c6d42500003200374acf.jpeg?ops=scalefit_630_noupscale

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xoZBjlEyTGWaSXZJwp0uW1E4VbnvzWY5I4rgmvbYdmU/edit?usp=sharing