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New ABC Series on Innocence Project Lawyers

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Mon Dec 05, 2005 at 12:09:14 PM EST
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Is the tide finally turning on Law and Order and its never-ending spinoffs about prosecutors and cops? I hope so. ABC will launch a new series in January called In Justice about defense lawyers in an Innocence Project fighting to free clients who have been wrongfully convicted.

Every year, hundreds of innocent men and women get convicted of crimes they didn't commit. Sloppy police work. False testimony. Biased juries. In the blink of an eye an innocent man can lose his life to the mistakes of an imperfect system. And every year the number of innocents who live without hope behind bars multiplies, while the real criminals walk free.

The leading role goes to a Barry Scheck-type character.

The innocent have finally found a champion in a blustery but charismatic attorney named David Swayne. A legendary litigator, Swayne is the head of the Justice Project, a high-profile, non-profit organization made up of hungry young associates who fight to overturn wrongful convictions, liberate the falsely accused and discover the identity of those really to blame. Whether the ego driven Swayne is doing this in the pursuit of justice or publicity remains to be seen. Thank goodness he has his partner, crackerjack investigator and ex-cop Charles Conti, to keep him honest. He's the serious to Swayne's swagger and together they work to rectify the mistakes of the justice system one case at a time.

Fox joined the innocence band-wagon in August with its series Prison Break, featuring an innocent on death row who was set up by the Vice President.

This drama focuses on a prison designer who gets himself thrown into one of his own prisons to help his falsely accused brother escape death row. Described as in the vein of The Great Escape, the series will unfold over 22 episodes, charting the course of a single break.

I hope this is a signal Dick Wolf's reign is coming to an end.

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    New ABC Series on Innocence Project Lawyers | 3 comments (3 topical)
    Re: New ABC Series on Innocence Project Lawyers (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:40 PM EST
    Hello Tookie I believe that your case should be reopen, In my heart I know you are truly sorry for a lot of things you have done in the past, but if GOD can forgive you. Who is MAN to judge you and sentence you to death. I know MAN can change. REDEMPTION, I will pray for your soul and MAN cold Hearts...Nickatoya

    Re: New ABC Series on Innocence Project Lawyers (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:42 PM EST
    You know, for all the angst about how police and prosecutors get all the screen time, I'm somewhat curious about the rationale for it. On the CSI franchises, a lot of episodes (before the bad guy(s) finally get nailed) involves the techs proving that suspects didn't do it. Several have also revolved proving previously convicted people innocent. This is also true for Law and Order episodes. A great many characters on that franchise are shown as being offended when they come across evidence of innocent people having been railroaded and most of the time own up to their own mistakes. There was one particular episode of Criminal Intent where Goren admits he screwed up (and an innocent man ended up dead of suicide) because he allowed his personal prejudices to taint his opinions. Just, you know, in comparison, how many times did Perry Mason's client turn out to be guilty and the police right? (Answer: in 272 episodes, he lost 1 case. And the client was still innocent because she didn't reveal exculpatory evidence, which Mason discovered himself and used to clear her by the end of the episode and identify the real killer.) How many times did Ben Matlock have a guilty client? How many times did the police get it right instead of needing Jessica Fletcher to discover the real killer?

    Re: New ABC Series on Innocence Project Lawyers (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Jan 20, 2006 at 07:58:01 PM EST
    The TV show Injustice has stuck an awful cord. My family is living a real life injustice in the making. My husband has been falsely indicted for a crime he didn't commit. On one side, the prosecution is pulling every dirty lawyer trick they can from their dirty little lawyer trick hat to make sure the truth never sees the light of day. They arrested an innocent man, so now they need to find a way to assign guilt. On the other side, we are pouring our life savings into defending my husband's right to remain free. All because a couple of law enforcement officials thought they knew our family better than we did. I've found myself pondering several questions as a result of this horrible drama: How and when did our justice system get so morally broken? Why should the justice system be allowed to emotionally and financially devastate innocent families? With all the real bad guys in the world, why should over-zealous prosecutors spend their time and energy going after fake bad guys? I can promise that if my husband is wrongfully convicted, I will not shut my mouth until the right people have heard my message. Moreover, I appreciate the job the show Injustice is doing in raising awareness of our ailing criminal justice system.

    New ABC Series on Innocence Project Lawyers | 3 comments (3 topical)