Friday May 7th's ABC 20/20 program included a segment about junk science being used to send people to prison - even sentenced to death and executed - for supposed arson.  NTCOF’s own Curtis Severns languishes today in Texas’ Beaumont Federal Prison and is featured in the 20/20 magazine program’s online item here.

The portion on Curtis is short and didn't carry the emotional impact of the stories of mothers jailed for supposedly setting fires that killed their children.  But viewers got to see video that the jury at Curtis' trial never got to see: a fire test that showed that the explosion of heated aerosol cans caused the appearance of "multiple points of origin" that arson investigators in the case insisted proved arson.

The most infuriating part of the story was when Jay Schadler interviewed fire investigator John DeHaan in the last portion of the broadcast.  DeHaan had changed his conclusion in a case that had sent a woman to jail, but without telling anyone!  "I don't invent reasons to go back and re-examine cases," said DeHaan, as if people doing time for crimes they didn't commit and crimes that never even were are reasons that have to be "invented!"  When DeHaan was asked if he ever called the woman to apologize out of simple humanity and with the realization that his mistakes had put her "through hell," DeHann responded: "I've been dealing with clients of all kinds for 40 years and I'm sure the experiences they've had have been unpleasant."  He declined to even offer any remarks for the woman on air.  And DeHann is the same "expert" the prosecution used to convict Curtis Severns!  This was not mentioned in the 20/20 program.

Fire investigator Douglas Fogg, whose "science" led to the execution of Todd Willingham, fire investigator John DeHaan, and the detective in the case involving DeHaan, Detective Sandoval, were unrepentant.  Fogg and Sandoval remained absolutely certain that the innocent peopled they helped to convict were, in fact guilty.  It is a sobering reminder of how people become convinced of something and will choose to ignore or deny anything and everything that casts doubt on that belief.  The truth is that beliefs are not the important thing.  Thinking and how we arrive at our beliefs, beliefs that we should remain willing to give up for better ones at any time, is what is important.  As the 20th Century physicist and Nobelist Richard Feynmann said, real honesty is always bending over backwards to see if we might be wrong.  When can this possibly be more important than when people's lives are at stake?  But, sadly, these ideas and attitudes are not yet a part of public morals.

The Texas Observer ran an article on the subject of false convictions in arson cases a year ago which is here and takes note of this week's ABC program here.  The Dallas Morning News' TEXAS DEATH PENALTY BLOG also calls attention to the additional publicity here.  As we know, dozens of Texans have been exonerated over the last few years after being convicted "beyond a reasonable doubt," and not just for arson  Efforts to establish an Innocence Commission to ferret out these injustices and correct them continue to be resisted, even by Texas' Governor Perry who objects to "an added layer of government."  And we thought Republicans were the ones who most recognized how often and easily the government screws things up!  Finally, John Lentini, who was also featured on the 20/20 program as a fire investigator who supports relying on science and freeing people convicted on the basis of myths and "old wives tales," has a website here.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Write your FEDERAL Senators and Representative asking them to support legislation to set up an Innocence Commission to re-examine cases such as that of Curtis Severns.  Efforts in Texas are also worth supporting but will not help those, like Curtis, who were prosecuted and convicted in the federal system.  Also visit here, a website set up by Curtis' nephew.