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| From
the pages
of the Isthmus and the Wisconsin State Journal Madison, Wisconsin |
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| Madison,
Wisconsin
stands at the heart of the country, offering up a hearty slice of
Americana.
Capitol city of a state known for its progressive attitudes, home of
the
University of Wisconsin, a world class center of learning and research,
Madison's image embodies the work ethic coupled with clean living and
tolerance
for individuality.
Madison is also the home of the Isthmus and the Wisconsin State Journal. The Isthmus, a weekly newspaper that insists upon openness and accountability in government has successfully sued -- twice -- to open internal police records of citizen complaints. The daily Wisconsin State Journal has outpaced all other media in the state in exposing public corruption. Wrongful prosecution and wrongful conviction are among the issues taken on by both newspapers. The examples presented here are representative of the investigative journalism efforts of these newspapers. They are also representative of the nightmares in which average people can find themselves trapped. These injustices can -- and do -- happen anywhere. In Madison, these victims had the Isthmus and the Wisconsin State Journal. Does anyone speak for them where you live? |
| Award-winning journalist Dee Hall of Madison, WI's Wisconsin State Journal has filed a stunning series on the prosecutorial misconduct of Dane County Asst. DA Paul Humphrey, as well as the response -- or lack of response -- of Wisconsin's Office of Lawyer Regulation to Humphrey's conduct in particular and prosecutorial misconduct in general. |
| Some of Humphrey's
Questionable Cases |
30% Longer to Handle
Felonies |
| Devastating Consequences |
25 Prosecutors Disciplined since 1981 |
| My dad had a saying that fits too many prosecutors: "I may not always be right, but I'm never wrong." Bill Lueders, News Editor of the Isthmus in Madison, Wisconsin, observes "It's almost as though the vast, unchecked power of prosecutors robs them of the humility they need to exercise it." The Importance of Being Sorry |
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| Police policy on questioning defended |
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Her checks were stolen and forged, then her life was destroyed.
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| A teenage girl is raped, then prosecuted for reporting it. | A judge joins an overzealous prosecutor to deny the rights of a disabled man. |
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