Who is the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition?

Our mission is to reverse the trend of mass incarceration in Colorado. We are a coalition of nearly 7,000 individual members and over 100 faith and community organizations who have united to stop perpetual prison expansion in Colorado through policy and sentence reform.

Our chief areas of interest include drug policy reform, women in prison, racial injustice, the impact of incarceration on children and families, the problems associated with re-entry and stopping the practice of using private prisons in our state.

If you would like to be involved please go to our website and become a member.


Saturday, February 13, 2010

Larimer County settlement would give Tim Masters about $4 million - The Denver Post

Larimer County settlement would give Tim Masters about $4 million - The Denver Post

Larimer County commissioners have reached a settlement to compensate Tim Masters in the range of $4 million for his wrongful imprisonment in the 1987 murder of Peggy Hettrick, according to sources close to the negotiations.

The deal, set for a formal vote by the board on Tuesday, would pay damages resulting from the conviction.

At the time, prosecutors Terry Gilmore and Jolene Blair, both now Larimer County judges, used a psychological theory in the absence of any physical evidence to persuade a jury to convict Masters.

Masters, 38, spent a decade behind bars before he was released in 2008 after advanced DNA testing found no trace of Masters' genetic material as well as DNA that may point to another suspect.


Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14393641#ixzz0fQOpF9nn

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The prosecutors should have to serve the same sentence! At the least they should lose their positions as judges. How messed up.

Anonymous said...

I hope Gilmore and Blair are responsible for the payments of $4 million dollars. They should pay restitution to the county for the rest of their lives! These two judges should be removed from their positions and sent to prison for what they did to Tim Masters.

There are too many prosecutors who are out for convictions -- not justice. It is better to let a guilty person go than to convict an innocent person.

$4,000,000 doesn't seem like enough money to compensate someone who lost more than 10 years of his life in prison. But, it's something to help make up for the time he lost.

Anonymous said...

This is a great start. Let not let it stop here. There needs to be a movement that makes DA's all over the country (and judges) get over the mentality that makes them want a conviction no matter what. It is twisted and totally unethical and is costing the "people" billions.