Legal Research Sources for the Innocence Project Northwest Clinic
Updated Feb. 19, 2008.
Prepared by Cheryl Nyberg for Prof. Jackie McMurtrie's Innocence Project Northwest Clinic.
Access to some sources are UW restricted or require individual users to have their own LexisNexis or Westlaw IDs or passwords.
Books
See also Deborah Sulzbach, DNA Shall Prevail: Postconviction DNA Evidence: An Annotated Bibliography, 25 Legal Ref. Serv. Q. 39 (2005, no. 1).
In order by title.Achieving Justice: Freeing the Innocent, Convicting the Guilty, by the ABA Criminal Justice Section's Ad Hoc Innocence Committee to Ensure the Integrity of the Criminal Process. KF9756.A82 2006 at Classified Stacks
Actual Innocence: Five Days to Execution and Other Dispatches from the Wrongly Convicted. KF9756.D89 2000 at Good Reads
Actual Innocence: When Justice Goes Wrong and How to Make It Right (2003). Available via Summit.
Constitutional Rights of Prisoners. LexisNexis: CRIME;CONTRP
Convicted by Juries, Exonerated by Science: Case Studies in the Use of DNA Evidence to Establish Innocence after Trial (1996). KF9667.C66 1996 at Classified Stacks
Federal Postconviction Remedies Handbook. Westlaw: FEDPCREM
Innocent: Inside Wrongful Conviction Cases. KF9756.C49 2004 at Classified Stacks
The Innocents: Photographs and Interviews (2003). Available via Summit.
Lazarus and the Hurricane: The Freeing of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (2000). Available via Summit. See also the Gallagher guide on The Hurricane.
Legal Resource Guide to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (2008).
Truth, Error, and Criminal Law (2006). Available via Summit.
The Wrong Men: America's Epidemic of Wrongful Death Row Convictions (2003). Available via Summit.
Wrongly Convicted: Perspectives on Failed Justice. KF220.W76 2001 at Classified Stacks
Search for other books and materials in library catalogs for the following subject headings:
- DNA Fingerprinting
- Evidence, Criminal
- Evidence, Expert
- Judicial Error
- Post-conviction Remedies
Articles
Search LegalTrac for articles indexed under the following subjects:
- DNA Testing
- Evidence, Scientific
- False Imprisonment
- Innocence (Psychology)
- Post-Conviction Remedies
- Wrongful Convictions (Law)
Websites & Blogs
BLAWG, Criminal Law lists criminal-law related blogs.
University of Texas, Tarlton Law Library, Actual Innocence Awareness Database provides citations and links to articles, books, legislation, newspaper stories, reports, and websites. Categories include:
- eyewitness ID
- false confessions
- forensics/DNA
- ineffective representation
- jailhouse informants
- police and prosecutorial misconduct
Death Penalty Information Center, Innocence and the Death Penalty
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
National Center for State Courts, Science, Technology and the Law
National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law "assembles the available scientific, technological, and relevant legal resources into a comprehensive `one-stop' searchable database with equal access for all." Includes an events calendar, links to related websites, and an email newsletter.National Conference of State Legislatures, DNA & Crime
National Criminal Justice Reference Service is a clearinghouse for federal government research and publications.
Historical Statutes
LexisNexis: Revised Code of Washington Archive from 1991.
Westlaw: Search the particular year needed. Washington Historical Statutes Annotated, from 1989. WA-STANN89, WA-STANN90, etc. When viewing a section in the current statutes, click on "Versions" link in the left navigation bar and select appropriate year. Search by terms and connections or statutory citation.
Revised Code of Washington, previous editions. KFW30 1951 .A2 at Classified Stacks.
West's Revised Code of Washington Annotated, superseded volumes. KFW30 1961 .B3 at Classified Stacks; superseded pocket parts at Special Collections Washington.
Other states: superseded volumes and editions shelved in the Compact Stacks under the same number (approximately) of current state codes.
Citing Unusual Sources
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, 18th ed. (2005)
"The Bluepages Tables, Court Documents," at pages 25-26. Abbreviations for words like affidavit, appendix, complaint, exhibit, hearing, summary, testimony, and transcript. Also indicates words that should not be abbreviated.
Inside back cover, "Quick Reference: Court Documents and Legal Memoranda." Formats for legislative materials, letters, interviews, and court documents.
Trial transcripts: Tr. pp-pp. Examples from Washington Reports:
McCluskey v. Handorff, 125 Wn.2d 1
...here." (Italics mine.) Rep.'s Tr., at 2219. The State's brief...
...not claiming immunity." Rep.'s Tr., at 2219. As a second...
...this particular location. Rep.'s Tr., at 2711-13, 2854-75. However, the...
...possible probative value. Rep.'s Tr., at 2947-48. The problem for...
...was "unreasonably dangerous". Rep.'s Tr., at 574-75. Next, the majority...
Opal v. Adams County, 128 Wn.2d 869
...Schlagel on that issue.'" Trial Tr. (Aug. 15-16, 1994) at 128...
...of something like that." Trial Tr. (Aug. 15-16, 1994) at 66...
...and explain the situation. Trial Tr. (Aug. 15-16, 1994) at 110...
...a land use permit." Trial Tr. (Aug. 15-16, 1994) at 131...
Greater Harbor 2000 v. Seattle, 132 Wn.2d 267
..of the City Council «18» Tr. of Summ. J. Decision, 66-67...
State v. Rife, 133 Wn.2d 140
...substance and narcotic drug; «2» Tr. of Trial at 10, 13...
Lindberg v. Kitsap County, 133 Wn.2d 729
...Papers at 5; See Verbatim Tr. of Dec. 23, 1993 Show...
...8, 12. «5» See Verbatim Tr. of Dec. 23, 1993 Show...
...award of $1,110.00. See Verbatim Tr. of Jan. 14, 1994 Mot...
Coalition for the Homeless v. DSHS, 133 Wn.2d 894
...and Cross-Appellants (App. 1, Tr. of the Ruling of the...
Johnson v. Weyerhaeuser Co., 134 Wn.2d 795
...Review at 4 (quoting Trial Tr. at 64 (Sept. 7, 1990...
Furfaro v. Seattle, 144 Wn.2d 363
...Reporter's Transcript on Appeal (Rep. Tr.) (Dec. 10, 1997) at 146-47...
...standards of conduct ordinance. Rep. Tr. at 147 (Dec. 10, 1997...
...Resp'ts Br. at 17-18; Rep. Tr. (Dec. 16, 1997) at 116...
...testified to that effect. Rep. Tr. (Dec. 11, 1997) at 10...
Eliminating Unpublished Cases
When you want to eliminate unpublished cases from a LexisNexis or Westlaw search, add the following elements to your terms and connectors search:
LexisNexis: "and not notice (unpublished)"
Example: Searching WA State Cases, Combined, on Feb. 24, 2006
"dna" retrieved 339 cases
"dna and not notice (unpublished)" retrieved 95 cases
"dna and notice (unpublished)" retrieved 244 cases
Westlaw: % no(unpublished)"
Click on the
(scope information for the database) to see a complete list of fields and their contents available in the database.
Example: Searching WA-CS on Feb. 24, 2006
"dna" retrieved 345 cases
"dna % no(unpublished)" retrieved 87 cases
"dna & no(unpublished) retrieved 258 cases
Related Research Guides
For related information, see the Gallagher Law Library guides on:
- Briefs and Oral Arguments
- Federal Legislative History
- Federal Rules of Evidence and Comparable State Evidence Rules
- Washington State Legislative History (For other states, see State Legislative History Research Guides on the Web.)