Criminal Justice System: False Conviction

Words: 1166
Pages: 5
Open Document
Emmett Louis Till, a fourteen year old boy, was falsely accused of rape in 1955 by Carolyn Bryant and he was later murdered. On January 27, 2017, Bryant pleaded guilty to the false accusations against Till (Steinbuch). Every year in the criminal justice system there are 200,000 rape allegations and according to Cassia Spohn, a professor and director of the school criminology and criminal justice at Arizona State, in 2014, eight percent of rape allegations made to the police department, were classified as “false” (Spohn, Gross). Due to these false allegations of rape, over 500 people are falsely convicted of rape and later incarcerated. False convicts of rape develop psychological disorders such as anxiety, certain phobias, clinical depression, …show more content…
Jay Cheshire, a seventeen year old, was a victim of a false conviction of rape. On October 1, 2009, Cheshire was convicted of rape then further diagnosed with clinical depression after the conviction. He was to undergo professional therapy; however, two weeks after the conviction he committed suicide (Mail Online). Although he was to undergo therapy, the financial issues his mother and him encountered make it difficult to receive professional …show more content…
Mandery evaluated a case study which consisted of 118 falsely convicted rapists and with analyzing the results she came to the conclusion with the challenges an exoneree faces after incarceration can be “fixed” with a substantial compensation. He states “people exiting prison need, but often do not have, physical and mental health care, education, food, housing, jobs, and a support network (2013, p. 350).” In order for an exoneree to regain the support lost after incarceration, he or she needs to be compensated with the damages depending upon his or her sentence. Mandery says the falsely convicted rapist may seek compensation through: tort claims, private bills, or compensation statutes. However, the “best” way to gain compensation is through preexisting statutes (2013, p 365).” Although one may sue for compensation through preexisting statutes, the drawbacks remain. Gaining compensation through statutes is difficult since only twenty seven states have enacted statutes to compensate the wrongly convicted (Trinh). For example, California has a cap of 2 million dollars no matter the how long the sentence was (Trinh). Also, the amount of money given from the government is dependent on what they feel as “recoverable.” Although certain states have limitations on the money granted, there are different
Show More

Related Documents: Criminal Justice System: False Conviction

Wrongful Conviction Cases

Wrongful convictions have a destructible and Irreparable impact on the innocent defendant or people who have sent to prison. Wrongful convictions can weaken the criminal system because they cause the lose of public faith in the fairness where people will no longer trust the criminal justice system. There are various different reasons behind wrongful convictions. However, there a number of common components that frequently appear in wrongful conviction cases, including prosecutorial misconduct, false…

Words 256 - Pages 2

Wrongful Convictions Research Paper

many people believe the justice system is just, there is no doubt that many innocent people are put in prison because of misidentification and memory contamination by eyewitnesses, false or coerced confessions, and flawed forensic evidence. 1. An innocent person might be convicted of misidentification. Mistaken identification occurs when a witness or someone in the justice system mistakenly identifies someone as…

Words 1453 - Pages 6

Police Misconduct Research

are forcing false confessions, lying or giving the jurors false information, not handing evidence over to prosecutors, and bribing people to secure faulty evidence and informants (Covey, 2013). In addition, prosecutors force defense witnesses not to take the stand, allowing unreliable witnesses to testify, intentionally destroying evidence, and depending on forensic experts that are not accredited and credible (Brandeis University, n.d.). Police misconduct causes wrongful convictions. Law enforcement…

Words 639 - Pages 3

Wrongful Convictions Research Paper

Wrongful conviction, a major issue in the criminal justice system, can be analyzed through various sociological perspectives. This paper will explore how wrongful conviction fits with functionalism, conflict theory, feminist theory, symbolic interactionism, and utilitarianism, also known as rational choice theory or exchange theory. Functionalism is a sociological perspective that views society as a system of interconnected parts that work together to maintain stability and order. From a functionalist…

Words 523 - Pages 3

False Confession: The Criminal Case Of Damon Thibodeaux

The criminal case of Damon Thibodeaux in 1996 is the critical case that represents the reality of false confession in the criminal justice system. In this case is that Damon gave a recorded confession that he committed non-consensusl sex and murdered the victim after nine hours of continued interrogation(Paul Purport, 2014). Damon Thibodeaux was sentenced to death and spent 15 years on death row and 16 years in prison baed on his recorded confession before DNA testing proved his innocence. It is…

Words 330 - Pages 2

Wrongful Conviction: the Darryl Hunt Case Essays

working as a newspaper editor. This paper researches oh his wrongful conviction in North Carolina. Darryl Hunt served nineteen and a half years before DNA evidence exonerated him. The charges leveled against him were because of inconsistencies in the initial stages of the case. An all-white bench convicted the then nineteen-year-old Hunt, even though there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime. A hotel employee made false claims that he saw Hunt enter the hotel bathroom, and later emerge…

Words 1248 - Pages 5

Wrongful Convictions In Court Cases

It is essential to recognize that wrongful convictions occur more frequently than people often believe. Improper convictions, characterized as the conviction of innocent people, are more standard than frequently accepted. This exploration reveals that these terrible instances are not detached occurrences, but foundational issues burdening overall sets of laws worldwide. Factors contributing to wrongful convictions include eyewitness misidentification, false confessions, inaccurate…

Words 1565 - Pages 7

Essay On Wrongful Convictions

Wrongful convictions are when an innocent defendant is accused and convicted of a crime they did not commit. There have been 337 wrongfully convicted felons in the united states since 1989. Each of these innocent people was in prison at least 14 years each and all together they all have all been in prison for 4,606 years.Wrongful convictions show not only injustice but the failure of the justice system and there should be more done to prevent wrongful convictions. There are many things that cause…

Words 666 - Pages 3

Wrongful Convictions Research Paper

Introduction To the Criminal Justice System In the complex world of criminal justice, the death penalty is one of the most controversial issues in the world. Particularly, the unsettling reality of wrongful convictions has cast a shadow over the system. This paper aims toward the current Doherty students perception of these issues and their impact on trusting our justice system vs. facts taken from court cases and victims themselves. In this paper I will identify wrongful convictions; what they are,…

Words 3079 - Pages 13

Wrongful Convictions

Justice system was and is fundamentally establish to administer justice and protect the innocent from the dangers of law breakers. However, some laxities have crept into this system and its supporting organs leading to the suffering of the innocent through wrongful convictions. The increasing exoneration of wrongfully convicted individuals begs for an answer to the possible causes of such convictions. The proceeding sections of this paper will provide some answers to these questions. Reasons Why…

Words 1295 - Pages 6