Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice

08/12/2026

Brandon Del Pozo, an assistant professor at [Brown University] and veteran law enforcement officer, says a big gap in criminal justice research lies at the intersection of criminal justice system contact and health outcomes.

08/11/2026

Congratulations to our colleague and Quattrone Center affiliated faculty member, Professor Sandra Mayson, on her election to the American Law Institute!

Since 1923, The American Law Institute has been a leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and otherwise improve the law. Professor Mayson's scholarship and dedication to the legal profession has made her one of the field's most respected voices and a recipient of this well-earned honor.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4w4Zl2s

08/10/2026

35 years ago this month, 22-year-old Fernando Bermudez was arrested in New York City for a murder he didn't commit. He served 18 years in prison before being exonerated. In this new video, Fernando and his daughter Carissa Bermudez discuss the devastating impact wrongful convictions have on an entire family and community.

08/06/2026

One of the reasons wrongful convictions are so hard to overturn is that once a defendant is convicted, the chances for relief narrow dramatically as the case moves through state and federal appeals processes. QC Executive Director Tricia Rojo Bushnell breaks down a case's winding journey through the system's "nine boxes."

07/29/2026

How do wrongful convictions impact crime victims and their families? Barbara Bradley Hagerty reports in The Atlantic on the often-ignored lives of crime victims when the wrong person is convicted.

She writes: "Every time an innocent person is convicted and later exonerated for a violent crime—something that has occurred more than 2,800 times in the past four decades in America—there are two sets of victims, each suffering a unique torture. The innocent prisoner loses years of freedom, while his children, spouse, parents, siblings, and friends are left with a jagged hole in their lives. But on the other side, the people devastated by a violent crime—the victim (if he survives), his family and friends—also suffer years of chaos as the exoneration plays out. In many cases, no one is brought to account in the end. When an innocent man is freed, the stories of those victims tend to go overlooked."

Read more:

For years, I reported on one man’s incarceration for a crime he didn’t commit—and ignored the stories of a grieving family who thought they had gotten justice.

07/28/2026

Rising Penn Arts & Sciences senior Lauren Humphrey is spending her summer conducting research and data collection with the Quattrone Center's new Prosecution Lab. She shared about the experience recently with The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4hyCJDF

07/27/2026

The newly-launched Penn Prosecution Lab is already making a difference. Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Director of Research Oren Gur and Assistant Director of Research Eliza Ziegler talked with the Quattrone Center about how the partnership came about, its early results, and why this method of collaboration is so beneficial for prosecutors offices that want to use data and analytics to inform policy and practice.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4gEfMi9

07/20/2026

If field sobriety tests are notoriously inaccurate, why are we still using them? In a new series from WSMV 4, Nashville, three experts from different corners of the criminal legal system provide their thoughts on field sobriety tests (such as HGN, walk-and-turn, and one-leg stand) and their usage as evidence in courtrooms. The discussion raises neurological concerns, questions about scientific methodology, and more.

Read more: https://www.wsmv.com/2026/07/09/they-catch-everybody-why-experts-say-field-sobriety-tests-fail-sober-drivers/

07/16/2026

In 2021, a small team of Penn researchers began embedding within the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office — working on-site alongside prosecutors and line staff to study how prosecutors shape outcomes in our criminal legal system.

Today, that model of research is being institutionalized with the launch of the Penn Prosecution Lab.

QC Research Director Lindsay Graef and University of Pennsylvania Associate Professor Dr. Aurélie Ouss recently sat down with us to talk about this exciting development, and how it can make our criminal legal system more fair and efficient.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4gEfMi9

07/16/2026

Jailhouse informants are a leading cause of wrongful convictions, prompting some states to regulate their use. Journalist Pam Colloff argues these new safeguards are not enough—we also need to review the old cases.

Read the latest from Washington Post Opinions:

Jailhouse testimony can earn witnesses a lighter sentence. Is that a problem?