Examples Of Wrongful Convictions

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Jake Thomas
PHIL 460
11/17/16
Wrongful Convictions For many years our justice system has over-looked the fact that sometimes they produce erroneous convictions. The system believes they are more likely to release guilty individuals than to convict innocent ones because defendants are recognized as innocent until proven guilty. However, as much as we’d like to believe this, recent studies have lead researchers to a different conclusion. The conclusion they’ve come to is that there are far more innocent people behind bars than ever imagined. The reason that this is so, can be attributed to several different factors. These factors are witness error, police or prosecutorial misconduct, false confessions, use of informants, ineffective defense counsel, forensic errors, and plea bargaining. (Free and Ruesink, 2012) Witness error is one of the more commonly found factors that contribute to wrongful convictions. Although most witness error is not deliberate, misidentification is more …show more content…
The earliest innocence project was founded in 1992 by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld at Yeshiva University’s School of Law. According to the innocence projects various research over the years, (as cited by Free and Ruesink, 2012) witness error accounts for 78.6% of wrongful convictions, police or prosecutorial misconduct represents 42%, 59.5% was attributed to false confessions, 15% was due to the use of informants, and 27% was associated with ineffective defense counsel. Even though most of the data gathered is inconclusive, it still gives interested parties a glimpse into the problems of the justice system. The work done by the Innocence Project has significantly increased the understanding of the problems that lead to wrongful convictions and what needs to be done to assist in the exoneration of wrongfully convicted defendants. (Free and Ruesink,

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…

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Police Misconduct Research

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 officers commit perjury in wrongful conviction cases. Some of the misconduct by police officers are filing false police reports, defining…

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Investigating Wrongful Conviction Analysis

The interview about Investigating Wrongful Conviction discussed how an individual could prove their innocence after conviction by elaborating on the resources needed to investigate wrongful convictions. The innocence project utilizes law students, who are then benefited in learning about different cases, to help search through claims of innocence. Law students might need additional support to help gather evidence for a claim and validate the claim in hopes that will lead to an exoneration. Dr.…

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Wrongful Convictions

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 Innocent Individuals Get Convicted Some of the reasons for wrongful convictions are discussed as under; 1. Inaccuracy of Eyewitnesses Even though man’s fallibility is…

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Wrongful Convictions In Court Cases

that reach far and wide. 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…

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Wrongful Conviction

one of the leading causes of wrongful conviction? 42% of all exonerations involved misconduct or error by criminal justice officials but it is not limited to prosecutors. Prosecutorial misconduct is an illegal act or failing to act, on part of a prosecutor, especially an attempt to sway the jury to wrongly convict a defendant or to impose a harsher than appropriate punishment. Prosecutors have a lot of power when it comes to the defendant’s fate. Wrongful conviction has affected a lot people from…

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Wrongful Convictions Research Paper

However, wrongful conviction is very bad. Wrongful convictions show the challenges law enforcement and prosecutors face in gathering evidence and building cases, suggesting that occasional errors happen in such a complex process. Innocent people being convicted is an injustice that goes against the foundation of the justice system. It causes people to lose trust in the justice system. This issue causes people to lose trust in the justice system. Wrongful convictions not only undermine the…

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Eyewitness Misidentification Research Paper

system, eyewitness testimony frequently serves as a fundamental element, exerting a substantial impact on the verdict of cases. Despite its perceived reliability, eyewitness identification is extremely prone to error, resulting in numerous wrongful convictions and ruined lives. The fallibility of human memory, along with extrinsic variables such as stress, suggestion, and time itself, can alter memories beyond recognition. Understanding the gravity of this situation is critical not only for obtaining…

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Law Essay Wrongfully Convicted

mistakes that the judicial system makes. 0.5% of felony convictions result in wrongful convictions, which is too many of which wrongful convictions have affected the lives of innocent people. “We call for more integrated approaches for addressing a wide range of often interrelated social, psychological and mental health issues experienced by those who were wrongfully convicted.” As explained in the Experiencing Wrongful and Unlawful Conviction article. No amount of money can replace the time you have…

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Legal Causes Of Wrongful Conviction

Wrongful Convictions are known to be impossible to determine the actual number of individuals being wrongfully convicted and its due to the lack of cases being documented. We will never know the exact amount of defendants that lost their lives or served time due to miscarriage of justice. The first documented wrongful conviction occurred in 1812 in Manchester, Vermont when two brothers (Jesse and Stephen Boorn) were accused of killing their brother in law Russell Colvin. This issue become more known…

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