Katja Pumm

Louisiana V. Vincent Simmons: Frame-up in Avoyelles Parish Katja Pumm

?If he was not guilty, he would not be in prison,? so the argument goes about inmates. And yet, DNA evidence frees two or more innocent prisoners each month in the United States of America. But, the great majority of the wrongly convicted cannot make use of this forensic science because there is none to test or for other reasons. African-American Vincent Simmons is one of them. In 1977, white minor twin sisters reported a ?black man? had raped them. Before the police made a proper investigation, they arrested Simmons without probable cause, put him in an illegal line-up, and shot him almost to death. He has maintained his innocence from the start. Despite exonerating evidence that the prosecutor withheld until 1993, courts continue to deny Simmons a hearing. He is still serving a one hundred-year sentence at the infamous Angola prison. "Louisiana v. Vincent Simmons: Frame-up in Avoyelles Parish" examines this case and its background in detail from all angles. This book discloses the major issues that often lead to judicial errors. It reaches out in simple language to laymen, professionals and legislators. .