Reasons For Wrongful Convictions

Reasons For Wrongful Convictions
Epidemic of Wrongful Conviction
In many countries across the world people are wrongfully convicted by a system whose sole purpose is to protects its citizens. Wrongful
convictions are a grave miscarriage of justice. A report Published by Nation Registry of Exonerations stated that 149 people were cleared in 2015 for
crimes that they did not commit in the United States (Ferner, 2016), this number is staggering. Also, in Japan 162 wrongful convicted between 1910
and 2010 (Johnson, 2015). With that said, a lot of people is being detained for crimes they did not commit in every region of the world, meanwhile the
real culprits are left to roam freely. Common reasons for wrongful conviction in the United states and Japan are harsh and long interrogations, witness
identification, errors or misconduct of the law enforcement and jailhouse informants also known as snitches, but mostly lack of DNA evidences. Even
though, these countries have constitutional rights for its citizens, the reasons for wrongful convictions are similar.
Between 1989 and 2010 a nonprofit watchdog and advocacy group reported that in the state of Illinois 85 people cases we overturned by D.N.A
testing. This had cost the taxpayer in Illinois $214 million (Lydersen, 2011). There were overall 316 post–conviction DNA exonerations in this country
since 1989, there have been an average of 1 per month (Johnson, 2015). The cost of wrongful conviction is extremely expensive. It cost the citizens of
this country to
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The Wrongful Convictions Of Innocent Men And Women
We hear in the news about police misconduct, use of excessive force, embezzlement, but one thing I found while researching what I should write this
paper on is the Wrongful convictions of innocent men and women, that spend years in prison being innocent, and there is nothing that gets done till it's
too late. Some wrongful convictions are honest mistakes, but many times law enforcement and prosecutors lose sight of the obligation of ensuring truth
and justice, and are focused on their conviction rates. As with any job, they are honest people and ones that just don't care and are corrupt, this exists in
the criminal justice system. One way to prove someone is innocent now is through DNA testing, but even at all levels of a criminal investigation there
could be misconduct or mishandling of evidence, which then causes the evidence to become compromised.
One thing I notice is a lot of the misconduct is by the arresting officers or detectives that are investigating the crime. The ways an office can have
misconduct that could lead to false convictions, include suggestions when conducting interviews, coercing false confessions, lying to jurors about
observations, failing to turn over evidence. Common forms of misconduct by a prosecutor can include, withhold evidence from defense, mishandling,
mistreating or destroying evidence, allowing witnesses that they know are not truthful to testify, Pressing Witnesses of the defense to not testify,
relying on fraudulent forensic experts.

Wrongful Convictions Research Paper
Post 1
Wrongful Convictions
A wrongful happens when a defendant who is innocent is found guilty in a criminal trial or even when a defendant pleads guilty to a crime they did
not commit usually to avoid extreme sentences like death penalty. A wrongful conviction also refer to a situation where a jury finds a person who has
a good self–defense guilty or where the constitutional rights of a person have been violated during trial but the appellate court reverse their convictions
regardless of their factual guilt.
Most of wrongful convictions occur due to honest witness error while others are caused by negligence of the criminal justice system including the
defense lawyers. May people who have been convicted wrongfully have in many instances been ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Some of the most common cyber–crimes are cyberstalking, identity theft, spam and phishing among others. Cyber stalking has been classified as one
of prevalent cybercrimes with many internet users falling victims of cyber bullying. Cyber stalkers meet their victims in different ways; mostly they
normally have a relationship either in the real world or online world. Cyberstalking starts when this relationship ends. However, strangers who have
collected information on the internet can also be cyber stalkers. The desire to control and even harm their victims is what motivates cyber stalkers.
They may go to the measures of personifying their victims and post messages or controversial posts on the boards and chat rooms. In this real regard,
cyberstalking is a real crime (Mansourabadi, 2014).
Cyber stalking and bullying is traumatizing especially for children because it is because of such incidents that make a child withdraw from social
gatherings and becomes scared of the outside world. In some extreme instances, cyber stalking has been known to result to death. This is because
though it starts with the real world and develops into the internet it also penetrates into the physical world where the perpetrators result to physical

Wrongful Conviction In Criminal Justice Research
This research paper describes the significance and importance of wrongful conviction as a criminal justice issue, the evolution of an innocence
movement to litigate on behalf of possible wrongfully convicted cons and to expose the issues surrounding the topic and research done. This is allows
the justice system to use legal and psychological inquiry to define such matters. A research portfolio for thecriminal justice policy scholars is proposed
to examine further possible innocent and prevent such future matters from occurring. Research has been done from sociology and political science to
elaborate the study of a potential policy change, interest and social movements groups offer models and methods that would give way to criminal justice

Wrongful Convictions And The Criminal Justice System
This paper takes a leap into the corrupted side of the criminal justice system. After analyzing several articles regarding wrongful conviction cases in the
Unites States, it is apparent that wrongful conviction cases occur more often than society believed. It has come to surface in recent years that wrongful
convictions are a big problem with our criminal justice system. Researchers have discovered the causes of wrongful convictions to be bad lawyering,
government misconduct, informants, false confessions, flawed forensic science and eyewitness error. Furthermore, this paper explores the affects
victims face due to a wrongful conviction. As society has begun to steadily realize that miscarriage of justice is a possibility, researchers have
considered reforms to the criminal justice system. Wrongful Convictions in the Criminal Justice System During recent studies from several researchers
it has been concluded that there is a fault within our criminal justice system. Researchers discovered there is a high wrongful conviction rate within the
United States judicial system. After, extensive research, it was found that wrongful convictions are caused by eyewitness error, false confessions,
flawed forensic science, an informant, bad lawyering, and government misconduct. Without a doubt, this issue has shocked society, due to the fact we
rely on the system for pure justice. Within my findings, it is apparent that victims of wrongful convictions suffer numerous affects when

Cornelius Dupree Jr.: A Case of Wrongful Conviction.
Written by: Lance Kriete
CJL4037
April 2011
Every year in the United States of America, millions of crimes are committed that violate and harm the individual rights, properties, and freedoms that
are not only guaranteed to American citizens of this country, but also naturally inherent to mankind as whole. Based on the founding principles of our
country, which are derived from the Constitution of these United States, justice is dealt accordingly to the perpetrators of these crimes. While this
justice is usually fair, due to certain rights given to those who may be charged with crimes, sometimes an error is made. A simple mistake, a missing or
broken link in the chain that ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The 26 year–old woman, on the other hand, had pointed them out and identified them as the perpetrators. Dupree was subsequently charged with one
count of aggravated robbery and one count of rape, and put on trial. During litigation, both victims had testified that Dupree was one of the men who
carjacked them in November. Disregarding the fact that the two defendants were not originally noticed in police lineups by the male victim, and
despite the woman 's repeated mixing up of the two defendants ' identities in court, the jury somehow thought the defense of 'mistaken identity ' was
not possible, and thus both men were found guilty of aggravated robbery. The jury decided to not indict Dupree on charges of abduction or rape
because they had felt any further convictions would not have been very significant; he was already given a sentence of 75 years in prison. After the
initial trial, Dupree 's attempts of appealing the decision were rejected three times, because he would not admit to being a sex offender. Throughout his
time in incarceration, Dupree maintained his innocence; even turning down two opportunities for early parole, because he would not admit guilt and
confess to a crime he did not commit. In 2006, his case was picked up by The Texas Innocence Project, and by July of 2007, the Innocent Project team
requested permission from the state of Texas to test for DNA evidence from pubic

Wrongful Conviction And Wrongful Convictions
Jones 8 Shantil Jones Georgia State University Wrongful Convictions April 17, 2016 Since the very beginning of time our Founding Fathers and those
that basically built the foundation of this country left a lot of responsibility in the hands of our government and the bases of religion. From Darryl Hunt
to Arthur Allan Thomas to Richard Jewell every year there are wrongful convictions that make their way across the courts around the United States.
Every year citizens are brought into the courtrooms with cases to present to the judge and jury and although our country places so much responsibility
in the hands of the jury and judges across the country, there are times when they simply make mistakes. With so... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
In the process, Alejandro Hernandez and Stephen Buckley were also implicated. On March 8, 1984, on the basis of his statements and other
statements by several witnesses, Cruz, Hernandez and Buckley (whose boot print was said to have been found on the door of the Nicarico house)
were arrested. All three were charged with the murder of Jeanine Nicarico, residential burglary, home invasion, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated
indecent liberties, deviate sexual assault, and rape. Going off prior knowledge before taking my Wrongful Convictions Class, I simply would have
believed that our justice system most of the time is correct in their convictions and that when they are not they go to the utmost procedure to correct
their wrong. Most of the time in cases such as the Cruz case when one is wrongfully convicted they are lasted rewarded a monetary award as a
settlement for the mistake made upon the government, but one must ask themselves is that enough? Can money truly value up to time spent away
from family, friends, and loved ones? What if there is a wrongful conviction in a case where one has seen the death penalty and cannot be paid
monetary reward because they have fallen victim to hands of wrong justification and the government? Before the 1985 trial, the lead detective in the
case, John Sam, resigned in protest, because he believed the three men were innocent. This alone seems to

Wrongful Convictions 2 Causes of Wrongful Convictions There are three main causes of wrongful convictions in the United States. This leads to
wrongful punishment and causes turmoil for everyone involved. It then creates multiple feelings on everyone's behalf, therefore; leaving no choice but
to choose sides. Should capital punishment be enforced or not enforced. To what extent do you believe the death penalty should be improvised?
Wrongful convictions are sought out by lawyers and police to determine if a criminal is guilty. Evidence and DNA is all part of the investigation that
leads to an arrest. Once evidence is presented, the jury will then deliberate on what ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
For this cause there are pros, protecting civilians from future harm.
The effect of this cause is that the cons are still out there on the streets, however; the evidence is not convincing enough to put the criminal away.
These causes have put authorities such as police and attorneys on edge. Causing them to doubt the outcome of all the existing crimes that are
happening. Wondering why they are taking Wrongful Convictions 4 such a risk capturing these criminals and watching them all be released back on
the streets. Due to the evidence provided they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. A jury can determine when a witness is giving false
information and when they are telling the truth. Weak and fabricated evidence is often tested in court. Therefore; some criminals are wrongfully
convicted. Given a plea or plea deal or even a new deal could lead to the conviction of an innocent situation In conclusion wrongful convictions are
subject to many decisions. Not only by a judge or jury but by the evidence that is provided in court. Given the facts we will spend vast energies in
freeing a few innocent people. We must gird for battle and restore the lost law. The law must be put back in congress where under the system it must
reside forever. Giving hope to those who were wrongfully convicted

The Conviction Of A Wrongful Conviction
Have you ever been accused of something that you did not do? You, yourself being the only person knowing that you are innocent while everyone
around you believes you are guilty. To add to the guilt all the evidence points to you as well. Even though you may prove your innocence, that
negative stigma of being accused of something lingers around you and people still believe something must have been wrong. This was the case with
Ivan Henry he was accused of a series of sexual assaults and spent 27 years behind bars for something he did not do. Ivan Henry is the perfect example
of a victim of a wrongful conviction and how the justice system is flawed when it comes to convictions. Misconduct by the police and the Crown not
disclosing important information led to Henry' wrongful conviction.
A wrongful conviction can be described as "a conviction of a person who was factually innocent" (Colvin, 2009). Also according to Colvin the leading
culprits in wrongful convictions are: eyewitnesses, misidentification, investigative misconduct or errors by the police; prosecutorial misconduct or
errors; faulty forensic evidence; false confessions; perjured or unreliable evidence of persons with a criminal background; and inadequate legal
representation (Colvin, 2009). As Colvin is implies, the cause of a wrongful conviction is always by the individuals involved in the law enforcement
and the forensics. Therefore this makes us question and wonder about how many individuals there must be

Wrongful Convictions Essay Examples
Wrongful convictions occur when innocent defendants are found guilty in criminal trials or when defendants feel obligated to take a plea agreement
in order to avoid extremely long sentences or the death penalty. The term wrongful conviction can also refer to cases in which a jury finds a person
with a good defense guilty or where the conviction is reversed in violation of the defendants constitutional rights. The term actual or factual innocence
is used to refer to persons who did not commit the crime. Miscarriage of justice is also used to describe wrongful convictions.
About five percent of felony convictions result in s wrongful conviction which is too many of which wrongful convictions have affected the lives of
innocent people. As ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This gives a witness time to forget what the person looked like. This kind of error is responsible for approximately 75% of wrongful conviction cases
(Huff, 107). Bad science is another issue that may cause wrongful imprisonment. Analysts have been inaccurate because of carelessness testifying in
court presenting evidence that was not based on science and participated in misconduct. The DNA Identification Act of 1991 led the creation of the
FBI CODIS DATA BASE which was announced as having been established to the U.S Senate Judiciary Committee on May 21, 2002. Since 1989,
there have been tons of thousands of cases where prime suspects were identified and pursued until DNA testing prove that they were wrongly accused.
In a National Institute of Justice study, suspects were excluded once DNA testing was conducted following the preliminary hearing. Amending the
existing post–conviction DNA testing statue to enable access to deserving defendants and do better utilize DNA database comparisons in order to
enable identification of real perpetrators where wrongful conviction is claimed. The Government should create a forensic advisory board to advise the
commonwealth on the best delivery of forensic services to state and local government and create a Conviction Integrity Commission to study future
exoneration and providing educational programs for the bar, bench, law enforcement and community.
False confession was

A Brief Note On Wrongful Conviction And Criminal Justice...
Vernon Randall Professor George Slone
Effectiveness in Writing 102
Date due: March 8, 2015
The wrongly accused
Introduction:
Despite the growing consciousness of a flawed criminal justice system, many cannot identify with being wrongfully convicted, weakening public
demand for change. Nevertheless, reforms designed to reduce miscarriages of justice take hold. The issue should not be viewed as a partisan issue but
one of vital concern to all criminal justice stakeholders and the public. A leading wrongfulconviction authority outlines the matter.
Wrongful Conviction and Criminal Justice Reform
Wrongful Conviction and Criminal Justice Reform, making justice is not a compendium of what has been learned about wrongful convictions since ...
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They initially presented their findings in the mid–1980s. Less than a decade later, stories of wrongful conviction poured forth as DNA exonerations
provided proof that the innocent had been imprisoned. Some of the investigations were done by journalists, including David Protess, his students at
Northwestern University, as well as teams of reporters at papers like the Chicago Tribune. Other work was conducted by academics, including such
luminaries as Sam Gross, Richard Leo, and Brandon Garrett. And, of course, the innocence project, led by law professors and advocates Barry
Scheck and Barry Neufeld, has uncovered case after case of wrongful conviction. Certainly, the studies of wrongful conviction have been able to
generate press coverage especially when the findings tell the story of an innocent defendant who narrowly escaped a death sentence. Due to the fact
that much of the American public assumes that it is not at risk for a wrongful conviction, few of those stories have "legs" to breed sufficient interest in
reform. In this assumption the public is correct. Notwithstanding the claims of some reformers that anyone of us could be subject to a wrongful
conviction, the research actually suggests that most individuals have little to fear. Indeed, the most recent national study of wrongful convictions
shows that individuals with a prior criminal record are at the greatest risk of being wrongful convicted (Gould et

The Wrongful Convictions Of The Death Penalty
Each year, approximately about 10,000 innocent people in the United States get convicted of serious crimes that they did not commit. And at least
four percent of them receive the death penalty being completely innocent. Scenarios like this happen all the time because there are more and more
false persecutions each day which can be easily avoided. Many people are occupying prisons all over the world, for felonies they did not execute.
More than 200 people have been exonerated through DNA testing nationwide. But why do these wrongful convictions keep happening? Well, in nearly
25 years since post–conviction DNA evidence has been used to demonstrate criminal innocence, even in cases that landed defendants on death row or in
prison for life. Eyewitness misidentification, forensic science errors, false confessions, government misconduct and bad lawyering are many of the
reasons wrongful convictions occur. Eyewitness being the most common. Sometimes it can be done by error and other times it is actually done
intentionally. In seventy–seven percent of the DNA exonerations, eyewitness misidentification led to wrongful convictions (The Innocence Project–
How wrongful conviction happen). The human mind is not like a tape recorder obviously, it does not record events exactly as seen in the moment of a
crime, and neither can the events be recalled precisely like a tape that can rewind back in time. Therefore, making eyewitness identification inaccurate.
For example, in the case of a

Wrongful Convictions In Canada
Wrongful Canada(Wrongful Convictions) A wrongful conviction is when somebody is accused and convicted of a crime in which they didn't
commit. There have been many cases of people being wrongfully convicted and having to spend years in jail before they finally be released, and
sometimes not. There have been cases where people have been wrongfully convicted, spent their whole life in jail and eventually receive the death
penalty and get killed for a crime that they didn't commit. Since 1989, 300 convictions have been overturned as a result of DNA evidence, and 17
people have been sent to death row after being wrongfully convicted. The main legal justification for people being exonerated is DNA evidence,
which has been growing in use and technologically advancing in the past few years. Canada has had many cases of people being wrongfully ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Basically, our DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is our genes, and every person, except for twins, are born with a different DNA profile and that is in a
giant database, containing every DNA profile of every person in the world. DNA testing started in 1985 by scientist Alec Jeffreys and was first
used to solve a crime a year later. Before 1985 DNA evidence could not be used in court because it wasn't invented yet, this increased the number of
wrongful convictions which would have been prevented using DNA analysis. However, DNA analysis can still be used to solve crimes that
occurred prior to the invention of DNA analysis, with a sufficient amount of DNA to be analyzed of course, which is a very small amount. Only a
small amount of DNA is needed to find out who it belongs to, it can be found in blood, saliva, finger residue, hair, skin, semen and more. If a wrongful
conviction occurs nowadays, our greatest chance to prove that it is a wrongful convictions is with DNA

Wrongful Convictions And The Court System
Wrongful convictions are common in the court–system. In fact, wrongful convictions are not the rare events that you see or hear on televisions shows,
but are very common. They stem from some sort of systematic defect that lead to wrongful convictions such as, eyewitness misidentification testimony,
unvalidated or improper forensic science, false confessions and incriminating statements, DNA lab errors, false confessions, and informants (2014).
Bringing awareness to all these systematic defects, which result in wrongful, is important because it will better adjust the system to avoid making the
same mistakes with future cases. However, false confession is not a systematic defect. It does not occur because files were misplaced or a lab
technician put one too many drops. False confessions occur because of some of psychological attempt to protect oneself and their family. Thus, the
courts responsibility should be to reduce these false confessions. DNA exonerations are very common. So much so that in the United States alone,
there have been "317 post–conviction DNA exonerations" (2014). The very first DNA exoneration dated back to 1989. The Innocence Project
examined these DNA exonerations and found that "8 of the 317 people exonerated through DNA served time on death row. Another 16 were charged
with capital crimes but not sentenced to death" (2014). More so, the average time served was about 13.5 years, and the average age was 27 (2014).
This means that before the age of

The Most Wrongful Conviction In Court Cases
Melissa Calusinski, Sabrina Butler, Beverly Monroe, and Nicole Harris. Each a different example of the many cases of an alleged miscarriage of
justice. Each a woman who claims she was wrongfully convicted of a crime she did not commit. Despite a court system's greatest effort to protect the
innocent and punish the guilty, mistakes are made; and innocent people go to prison. Some are even executed. The justice system is not perfect, as it is
the product and under the control of human beings, who by nature are far from perfect. There are certain patterns in the wrongful convictions of certain
individuals and their efforts to get exonerated from their false sentences. According to the data in the National Registry of Exonerations some
researchers have concluded that there exists a discrepancy in the amount of women who are exonerated from their sentences, compared to those of men
who were convicted. Proposed reasons for this discrepancy include the types of crimes that women statistically tend to be convicted of, the factors that
lead to wrongful convictions––official misconduct, inadequate legal defense, types of evidence, and... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Sabrina Butler was an eighteen year old mother who tried to save her child but, "her attempts at CPR were interpreted as fatal abuse" and she spent
time on death row before being exonerated and found completely innocent of the murder charges ( ). Nicole Harris falsely confessed to punching her
infant "because he would not stop crying" ( ). This confession came after detectives questioned her, without Mirandizing her, and immediately after the
death of her child and having her other child taken away from her. The detective clearly manipulated her and used her child as "a tactic to secure a
confession." Luckily for her, her conviction eventually got overturned after receiving assistance by post–conviction attorneys, or she would still be in
prison today (

Wrongful Convictions Of Innocent People Essay
Unfortunately, wrongful convictions of innocent people sometimes happen in the criminal justice system. According to a new report from the
University of Michigan Law School 's National Registry of Exonerations, 2015 set a record for the number of wrongly convicted Americans who
received justice; 149 people who were either declared innocent or cleared of their convictions or guilty pleas. Many of them had already served long
prison terms for crimes they did not commit (Mencimer, 2016.)
There are many causes that can contribute to a wrongful conviction. Witness misidentification is the most common cause; we know that the human
mind is not like a tape recorder, and can make mistakes. Forensic analysts presenting evidence that has little or no scientific basis, false confessions by
suspects during the interrogation process, government officials taking steps to ensure that a suspect is convicted despite poor evidence, testimony by
people with incentives to testify, and poorly prepared lawyers are just some of the other causes that can result in a wrongful conviction. The death
penalty case of Cameron Todd Willingham, of Corsicana, Texas, is one that experts now agree that the evidence proves he was wrongfully convicted.
But unfortunately, he was already put to death by lethal injection.
On December 23, 1991, the Willingham family home was engulfed in flames. Stacey Willingham was shopping for Christmas gifts, while Cameron
Todd Willingham was home sleeping at the time of the

The Center For Wrongful Conviction: Christopher Coleman's...
The Center for Wrongful Conviction and discuss why this occurred. Christopher Coleman was convicted of a crime that he didn't commit and spent
nineteen years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. This crime occurred in Peoria in 1994 because of taking part in an armed house invasion
and some part of an armed home invasion and some related crimes. He was released on bond in November 2013 after the Illinois Supreme Court
reversed his conviction. Christopher was also remanded for a retail based on some compelling evidence of actual innocence. Coleman receives news in
March 2014, that the Peoria County State's Attorney's Office dropped all charges against him for thiscrime. The prosecutor alleged that Coleman had
committed a crime among a group of mask men who invaded a home shared by five women. This was said during the trial in 1995 before the Peoria
County Circuit Court Judge Robert Barnes Jr. that raped one of the women during the home invasion. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Christopher was identified in a crime line–up and two of the women–mother and sister of the rape victim was in court and identified Coleman as the
offender. They didn't find any physical evidence to show that Coleman committed this crime. The victim's mother told the prosecutor that she had know
Coleman years earlier and she had not seen him recently, but recognized his voice and distinctive walk. Another sister told the court that she knew
Christopher by the nickname "Fat" and that he had removed his mask during the crime when it was occurring. Nevertheless, these women had
identified Coleman to responding during the grand jury hearing, and the other sister had incorrectly identified at least two other alleged

Essay Wrongful Conviction Has Plagued the Canadian Justice...
Wrongful conviction is an issue that has plagued the Canadian Justice System since it came to be. It is an issue that is hard to sort out between
horrific crimes and society's desire to find truth and justice. Incidences of wrongful conviction hit close to home right here in Saskatchewan as well
as across the entire nation. Experts claim "each miscarriage of justice, however, deals a blow to society's confidence in the legal justice system"
(Schmalleger, Volk, 2014, 131). Professionals in the criminal justice field such as police, forensic analyst, and prosecutors must all be held accountable
for their implications in wrongful convictions. There are several reasons for wrongful convictions such as racial bias, false confessions, jailhouse...
A report done by CBC news stated "The province of Saskatchewan judicial inquiry, which released a comprehensive 815–page report in September
2008, concluded, "the criminal justice system failed David Milgaard."" (CBC News, 2011). Actions of those in charge of finding justice may in fact
have caused the wrongful conviction of Milgaard. Police within the case have been accused of making those in question of Milgaard's involvement in
the murder reveal only what they wanted to hear. Furthermore, the court has been accused of not handling the case effectively as well as during
appeals holding bias opinions that the conviction was indeed correct. If not for the persistence of David Milgaard's mother and her belief in her son's
innocence and without the help of the Association in Defense of the Wrongfully Convicted (AIDWYK), David may have never made it out of prison
alive.
The Association in Defense of the Wrongly Convicted (AIDWYK) is an important resource for those that need assistance proving their innocence. This
foundation is a Canadian, non–profit organization that was founded in 1993 and incorporated in 2000.The goal of the AIDWYK is to "identify,
advocate for, and exonerate individuals who have been convicted of a crime they did not commit and to prevent wrongful convictions through legal
education and reform." Without the efforts of this foundation 18 innocent individuals would still be behind bars, and hundreds of cases would

The Wrongful Convictions Of The Death Penalty
Each year approximately about 10,000 innocent people in the United States get convicted of serious crimes that they did not commit. And at least
four percent of them receive the death penalty being completely innocent. Scenarios like this happen all the time because there are more and more
false persecutions each day which can be easily avoided. Many people are occupying prisons all over the world, for felonies they did not execute.
More than 200 people have been exonerated through DNA testing nationwide. But why do these wrongful convictions keep happening? Well, in nearly
25 years since post–conviction DNA evidence has been used to demonstrate criminal innocence, even in cases that landed defendants on death row or in
prison for life. Eyewitness misidentification, forensic science errors, false confessions, government misconduct and bad lawyering are many of the
reasons wrongful convictions occur. Eyewitness being the most common. Sometimes it can be done by error and other times it is actually done
intentionally. In seventy–seven percent of the DNA exonerations, eyewitness misidentification led to wrongful convictions (The Innocence Project–
How wrongful conviction happen). The human mind is not like a tape recorder obviously, it does not record events exactly as seen in the moment of a
crime, and neither can the events be recalled precisely like a tape that can rewind back in time. Therefore, making eyewitness identification inaccurate.
For example, in the case of a

Essay On Wrongful Convictions
There have been many studies looking at wrongful conviction cases, and along with that, there have been thousands of empirical studies done on the
traditional causes of it (Leo, 2009, pg, 29). These include eye witness testimony and false confessions induced by police (Leo, 2009, p.29). This paper
will look at the research done on those who have been wrongfully convicted and the psychological effects that it has had on them. I will discuss several
psychological processes that can lead to wrongful convictions in court. I will then look at the various psychological effects including mental and
physical health issues. Along with discussing some aspects of the stigmatization exonerees receive when returning home after being released that may
contribute to their personal psychological effects.
What can lead to wrongful conviction? Leo (2010) states that there are 7 psychological processes that can allow a wrongful conviction to occur (pg.
19). The first one being confessions and misleading specialized knowledge. Confessions are looked at as an amazing source of persuasive evidence
especially when ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Tunnel Vicon in the criminal justice system can be referred to as "the tendency to focus attention on one suspect (or group of suspected
co–perpetrators), and on evidence relevant to their guilt" (Leo, 2010, pg. 29). This process can also be extended further into the system, an
example is when a defense attorney becomes focused only on one goal. They start ignoring evidence and lines of defense that are relevant to the
goal of exoneration (Leo, 2010, pg. 30). The second piece of this process is confirmation bias. This is reference to information processing and
behavioral biases that lead a person to "selectively attend to, seek out, produce, and interpret evidence in ways that support existing beliefs,
perceptions, and expectations, and to avoid or reject evidence that does not" (Leo, 2010, pg.

Do you know someone who is serving time for s crime they did not commit? Have you wondered how a system has failed the very people it was
designed to serve and protect? The American judicial system has a prolonged record of wrongful conviction dating back centuries ago. Wrongful
convictions is when a person, who in actuality is innocent yet have been sentenced by a jury or other official courtroom. This misguided thinking by
the system brought about individuals being executed by deadly injection. African Americans are more likely to be wrongfully convicted than
Caucasians in murder, sexual assault and drug related cases. Dating back from 1989 to mid–October of 2016 of the 1,900 wrongful convictions
documented, 47% involved in the exoneration

Supporting The Original Victim After A Wrongful Conviction...
Supporting the Original Victim After a Wrongful Conviction Decision
Continual support to victims of crime is a necessary service in any just society; this support is especially needed in the event that a convicted offender
is exonerated. In the United States when a crime is committed the state, not the victim, owns and prosecutes the case so historically the victims' rights
have been neglected. In the modern era victims' rights are being improved during the trial and sentencing phases of the criminal justice process;
however in the event of an exoneration the victim is routinely revictimized and this problem needs to be corrected.
In the American criminal justice system wrongful convictions are not common; a study funded by the National Institute of Justice found that
nationally 265 wrongful major crimes convictions occurred from 2004 to 2010, the yearly total of exonerations has remained relatively steady
ranging from 35 to 54 per year (Irazola, Williamson, Stricker, & Niedzwiecki. 2013, p 20). Compared to the hundreds of thousands of major crimes
convictions that take place every year this is a small number; however wrongful convictions do take place, and when they do the original victim of a
crime does not receive adequate support. The victim is often racked by guilt over having contributed to the incarceration of an innocent person. One
crime victim participated in the NIJ study, but whose identity was withheld, said "I was a mess. I was absolutely hysterical [and]

The Major Sections Of Wrongful Convictions
In this paper it will be discussing the two major sections of Wrongful Convictions. The first section will cover in detail the false confessions. The
second section will cover about informant testimony and its importance. The third will be covering in detail the improper use of forensics and last but
not least the paper will discuss witness misidentification.
III. Common Causes In his 2008 Columbia Law Review Article "Judging Innocence," Brandon L. Garrett claims that there are four major factors
responsible for a majority of wrongful convictions, all of which I will discuss in detail. In short, however, these four factors are: (a) false confessions,
(b) testimony of informants (or "snitches"), (c) improper use of forensics, and (d) witness misidentification (p. 55). Through Garrett's (2008) study of
the first 200 DNA exonerees in the U.S., we see a breakdown of the percentage of cases in which these four types of evidence may be used to secure
a confession: 79% of the 200 cases involved witness identification of the subject, 57% involved forensic evidence, 18% were convicted with the aid of
informant testimony, and 16% of exonerees had given a false confession that was ultimately presented at trial (p. 76). Some of these exonerees were
even sentenced to death (p. 75).
A. False Confessions
Many individuals do not fully understand the possible consequences of making a false confession or report to detectives. The construction of a false
version of events, whether due to

Essay on The Wrongful Conviction of Rubin (Hurricane) Carter
The Wrongful Conviction of Rubin (Hurricane) Carter
There is no doubt in the minds of many people who are familiar with the Rubin "Hurricane" Carter story that he, and the man who was convicted for
murder with him, John Artis, are innocent of those crimes. While no one knows for sure who is guilty of the crime, but the one thing that is for certain
is that Carter and Artis were victims of racial bias from many people who would see them in jail. This story is truly a tragic one of a promising career,
and of a life that was spoiled by prejudice and one that reviles some of the ways in which, society's present legal system can fail to ensure the right of
justice for people in our society.
In a 1975 Penthouse Interview Carter stated ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The reason: a sworn statement by Alfred Bello, who was a suspect himself, stating that he had seen the two men at the scene of the crime. A tape of
Bello stating he was not sure that the suspected men were the ones at the crime scene apparently existed and was in the custody of the prosecutors but
was illegally withheld from the jury. An all white 'death jury' (a jury in which, each person is supportive of capital punishment and are generally more
supportive of a conviction) sentenced Carter and Artis to serve three consecutive life sentences for the murder of two men and a women in the
Lafayette Bar in New Jersey in 1966.
Besides the anticipated hardships that accompanied a long–term stay in prison, Carter had to bare the force of other unfair actions. In April 1974 Carter
was illegally transferred from the original place of his detainment, Rahway State Prison, to the Vroom Readjustment Unit at the Trenton State
Psychiatric Hospital (http://www.stanford.edu/~zdillon/story.html). He remained there for three months until Carter filed a federal suit against the
state for inflicting cruel and unusual punishment on him and was released from his illegal holding. Also, while incarcerated Carter was refused outside
medical attention and thus, received a botched operation which, left him blind in one eye

The Issue Of Wrongful Conviction
On any given day in Canada, there are more blameless individuals in jail than liable ones. By "blameless individuals" I mean the individuals who
have been blamed for a wrongdoing and are being hung on remand, anticipating a safeguard hearing or a trial. "dozens of innocent people might be
languishing behind bars. Over the ensuing 30 years, more than 20 convicted murderers have been freed on the basis of serious doubts about the
reliability of evidence and trial fairness in their cases." The revealing of wrongly convicted wrongdoers has been apparently the overwhelming lawful
improvement in Canada over the past half–century. In recent years, the issue of wrongful conviction has turned into an acknowledged reality in most
common law jurisdiction; Prominent cases tend not just to attract our consideration regarding the deleterious impacts of a wrongful conviction on an
individual but also to illustrate how parts of the criminal justice process have fizzled. An across the nation system of attorneys, columnists and
legitimate associations have fought resolutely in the courts to get the freedom of offenders who had, in some cases, spent decades incarcerated.
Clearly, wrongful conviction is the aspect of being in fact innocent but unfairly held accountable by a jury or other court of law for an act you did not
do. Also a criminal code is a statute which implies or endeavors to set out all denied or criminal offenses, and their different disciplines. In this paper, I
discuss

Wrongful Convictions And The Criminal Justice System Essay
Wrongful convictions heavily presided in Canada before adequate measures were taken to help prevent them. Many victims of wrongful convictions
were subjected to the flaws in the Criminal Justice System, in which has undergone drastic reforms to repair some of the many imperfections. In
Canada, the state provides compensation for individuals deemed factually innocent of the crimes they were charged for only through ex gracia, which
simply means, "payment by the state, ... made voluntarily, as a favour out of kindness or grace, and without recognition of any legal obligation"
(Entitlement of Compensation– The Legal Framework). However, in order to be considered eligible for financial compensation, certain guidelines must
be met under the Federal/ Provincial Guidelines on Compensation for Wrongfully Convicted and Imprisoned Persons, which was established in 1988.
(Entitlement of Compensation– The Legal Framework). The guidelines as specified in the Federal/ Provincial Compensation for Wrongfully Convicted
and Imprisoned Persons require that, an accused individual be convicted and imprisoned, and the conviction and imprisonment must be declared a
miscarriage of justice as a result of new factual evidence presented (Entitlement of Compensation–The Legal Framework). Also, the individual must
have been convicted and imprisoned under the Criminal Code of Canada, and the individual must be acquitted in the Court of Appeal, following a
referral made by the Ministry of Justice.

Life After Wrongful Conviction : An Article By Clow, Leach...
Life After Wrongful Conviction
The purpose of this article by Clow, Leach and Riocciadelli(2012) was to investigate the consequences incurred by victims of wrongful conviction by
reviewing relevant literature on the topic and examining how the research can influence legislation to improve the lives of victims of wrongful
conviction following release. This topic is important to the fields of law and psychology because people are getting exonerated and released from
prison having missed out on many years of their life as well as having incurred life changing events while in prison and the adjustment of the
wrongfully convicted becomes of increasing concern as more people are released.
People who are wrongfully convicted suffer the loss of privacy and free will as well as may encounter the same violence that most felons encounter,
while actually being innocent. In addition to this, inmates cannot have access to parole and certain other privileges unless they confess to committing the
crime and because often people who are wrongfully convicted are put in a unique position where they are either forced to admit to a crime they did not
commit or denied these privileges.
Following release, exonerees are given less assistance than actual guilty offenders and usually are not told about the release far enough in advance to
make preparations for when they are released. Also 23 states do not offer compensation to those wrongfully convicted and in the states that do a person
can wait

The Wrongful Conviction Of The Criminal Justice System
As defined, a wrongful conviction is a conviction of a person accused of a crime which, in the result of the subsequent investigation, proves erroneous.
Persons who are in fact innocent but who have been wrongly convicted by a jury or other court of law. For this reason, wrongful convictions disrupt
trust in our justice system, therefore, such convictions undermine public safety by leaving the correct or legitimate positives of the guilty in the
community to carry out future offences. With this in mind, one needs to secure the society and/or families of crime victims that are caused by the
incorrect or misleading errors that all humankind institutions occasionally make through accidental, unintentional, and through failures in working the
system. Moreover, a nine–year–old girl, Christine Jessop was murdered on October 3rd, 1984. Guy Paul Morin, her alongside neighbor was charged
for her murder. On the other side, around 3:50 pm on October 3rd, 1984, the school bus dropped Christine to her home; however, her mother and
older brother were absent due to being at the dentist in Newmarket. Thereupon, around 3:32 pm Guy Paul Morin departed for work; however,
appeared to have arrived home at 4:14 pm, however, Christine was not at all in the house when the Jessops arrived; therefore, the family assumed there
was no need for an urgency to cause an alarm. Anyhow, once the family realized that Christine has not shown up after several hours, Ms. Jessop contacts

Wrongful Conviction And Wrongful Convictions
The topic of wrongful convictions will be discussed in this research paper. Wrongful conviction is defined as the conviction of a person who is
accused of a crime in which, in the result of subsequent investigation, proves erroneous. These persons who are in fact innocent, will be wrongly
convicted by a jury or a court of law.
Background and Justification Since 1923, when Judge Learned Hand said that the American judicial system "has always been haunted by the ghost of
the innocent man convicted," the issue of wrongful conviction has been acknowledged to man (Halstead, 1992; Huff, Rattner, Sagarin, & MacNamara,
1986). After the judge made his innocuous statements, serious study of this phenomenon began. Contrary to the statement the judge made, time and
technology have revealed that an unquantifiable number of wrongfully convicted persons have served prison terms and even been executed for crimes
they did not commit and some that did not even occur. Research into wrongful conviction was virtually nonexistent until Professor Edward Brochard of
Yale University published his book Convicting the Innocent in 1932. This book documented 65 such cases, addressed the legal causes of miscarriage,
and offered suggestions to reform. Subsequently, numerous other researchers began conducting case studies and publishing findings that affirmed that
wrongful conviction represents a systematic problem within the American judicial process (Huff, 2002).
The contemporary innocence revolution

Examples Of Wrongful Convictions In Criminal Investigation
This paper explores the topic of wrongful convictions and their relation to criminal investigation. Wrongful convictions occur when victims are found
guilty in criminal trials or plead guilty to prevent a more serious punishment such as the death penalty or extensive prison sentencings. There are many
sources from real wrongfully convicted victims that explain why or how the justice system failed them. Over the years, wrongful convictions has been
a topic on the rise. Since the implementation of the innocence movement, there have been and continue to be more exonerations of wrongfully
convicted individuals every year. Wrongful convictions are one of the most controversial topics in thecriminal justice system. A wrongfully convicted
victim is one who was falsely accused of a crime and who was found guilty in trial or plead guilty for various other reasons. Some may ask how does a
wrongful conviction happen? One study found that a few reasons wrongful convictions may occur are because of disregard of proper procedure such as
DNA testing, witness misidentification, and false confessions (Hail–Jares, K., Lowrey–Kinberg, B., Dunn, K., & Gould, J. B., 2017). A wrongful
conviction can potentially ruin an individual's life in many different ways and take precious time away from their years of life that they will never get
back. One case that brought wrongful convictions into the spotlight was Steven Avery. Avery was convicted of sexual assault and attempted murder
and was

The Importance Of Wrongful Convictions
During the past twenty years reports have shown cases where people had been wrongfully convicted and exonerated in murder and rape cases. Many
exonerations occurred during post–conviction and DNA tests have revealed the innocence of wrongfully convicted individuals (Leo & Gould, 2009).
Over 230 prisoners have been exonerated by post–conviction DNA testing and in the past twenty years many wrongful convictions prove their
innocence through non–DNA means (Leo & Gould, 2009). Before 1989, the first year to use post–conviction DNA testing was used to establish
innocent and even in capital punishment cases. There has been a growth in culture and among criminal justice professionals who were wrongfully
conviction that occur in criminal justice systems (Leo & Gould, 2009).
The University of Michigan Law School and Center for Wrongful Convictions recorded over 2,000 wrongful convictions who been exonerated for
the past twenty years. There were 873 exonerations, 416 of those were homicide cases, 203 were sexual assault, 203 child sex abuse, 58 non–violent
crimes, 47 robberies and 47 were for other violent crimes. For the past 23 years, over 2,000 wrongfully convicted persons have been exonerated
(OccupyTheory, 2014).
According to the wrongful conviction statistics reported by the University of Michigan Law School and the Center for Wrongful Convictions, 52% of
these cases involves false imprisonment or perjury and 42% of these cases cited official misconduct as the primary

The Wrongful Conviction Of Juan Rivera
Written Assignment: The Wrongful Conviction of Juan Rivera
Aric Hermelin
March 31st, 2015
LSO102BA
Kimberly Costello
Part I On November 19th, 1993 Juan Rivera was convicted for the August 17th, 1992 rape and murder of then eleven year–old Holly Staker, who at the
time was babysitting her two siblings (University of Michigan Law School). His wrongful conviction was the result of failures by not only the public,
but also law enforcement personnel and the criminal justice system, as we will further examine. According to the University of Michigan's Law School,
Juan Rivera's initial arrest came on October 26th after Lake County Police received a tip from an informant. Rivera was then questioned for four days
and at the end of the fourth day Rivera falsely confessed to Staker's rape and murder (University of Michigan Law School). Following his confession,
the two interrogators went on to type a confession for Rivera to sign. After obtaining Rivera's signature, however, the prosecutor found the narrative to
be incohesive, and asked the interrogators to correct it and to obtain Rivera's signature on the second written confession. Rivera's signature was later
obtained on October 30th (University of Michigan Law School). Of course, it is tough to comprehend why a reasonable and innocent individual such
as Mr. Rivera would confess to a crime he did not commit (Gould). Upon further review, however, there were notable flaws as to how this case was
treated. To

Essay about Wrongful Convictions
"UNDUE PROCESS"
WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS AND VIOLATIONS OF CIVIL LIBERTIES
Latrina Dickerson
Master of Arts in Liberal Studies
Clayton State University, Morrow, Georgia
February, 2013
"UNDUE PROCESS"
Wrongful Convictions and Violations of Civil Liberties
Abstract: Over the past twenty years, advancement in DNA technology has directly led to the exoneration of nearly 300 people in the United States. In
addition to these scientific advancements, a growing body of literature has focused on the significant roles eyewitness misidentification, so–called
"jailhouse snitches," and false confessions have played in contributing to wrongful convictions in U.S. courts. The aim of this paper is to examine the ...
Gould is a social scientist and lawyer and his work focuses on justice policy, legal change, and civil rights. He has published articles on subjects that
include wrongful convictions and legal civil rights. Dr. Gould has published a book titled The Innocence Commission: Preventing Wrongful
Convictions and Restoring the Criminal Justice System, and the book was named an Outstanding Academic Title for 2008 by the American Library
Association. I will also utilize Professor Natapoff who has served as a clerk for the Honorable David S. Tatel from the U.S. Court of Appeals and for
Paul Friedman, U.S. District, Washington D.C. She is widely thought of as an expert on snitching in the criminal justice system. She recently served as
an assistant public defender in Baltimore, Maryland. Professor Natapoff received an Open Society Institute Community Fellowship.
This paper contains expert information snitching, evidence on eye witness testimony, and proven study on false confessions. Appendix 1 shows the
leading causes of wrongful convictions in United States. The first credited study and research analysis on wrongful convictions will demonstrate the
seriousness of this problem and the need for a resolution. Various other authors and reports have been reviewed for the purpose of this research paper.

In the late 40s, an informal organization, "the Court of Last Resort," was created by Erle Stanley Gardner to carry out investigations on cases

The Wrongful Conviction Of Criminal Justice System
A conviction of a person accused of a crime which in the result subsequent investigation proves erroneous.It depicts as any conviction which is
apparently not committed by the convicted.I have studied many cases that why wrongful conviction has occurred even with doing a systematic probe,
having with an affirmation and evidence. The most prominent reason why I did research on it was to knowing the critical reasons that why the public
entitled into wrongful conviction and even with having a rigid body of criminal justice system and what were the circumstances through which they
could not able to get justice. This all convictions leads into a severe effects on the life of the persons who are accidentally associated to crime which
they never even thought to commit.Case of Leighton Hay is a clear example of this, He was wrongfully convicted of murder, which led into 12 years
of inexorably imprisonment.why it took 12 years for justice system to ensure that he was innocent. Moreover, it creates the wrongful perception in the
people towards the justice system, whose core responsibility is to find out the exact truth and prevent public from those who violate the laws.For
deterring this all sort of crimes criminal justice system imposed several penalties to deal with it,if anyone commit any crime this may be result into fine,
imprisonment, etc also even rehabilitate to assume some possibility of not reoffending.In fact, there are many reasons due to which person

Causes Of Wrongful Conviction
Duhaime defined Wrongful Conviction as "A conviction of a person accused of a crime which, in the result of subsequent investigation, proves
erroneous. Persons who are in fact innocent but who have been wrongly convicted by a jury or other court of law" (Duhaime, 2017). But even
establishing an acceptable definition of "wrongful conviction" is difficult. Wrongful convictions are happening nationwide, however the more
frequent it becomes makes it seem like it isn't an accident anymore. In 2015, researchers found that 149 people were cleared for crimes they didn't
commit. So, we must ask ourselves what is the cause of wrongful convictions? In 2010, a young man by the name of Kalief Browder was wrongfully
convicted of a crime he did not commit and in 2008, Adrian Thomas was convicted of killing his son by threatening him to confess or else they would
arrest his wife. But where is the justice for these two men?
There are more African American men incarcerated today then there were slaves imported to North America from Africa. Mind you, where some would
prefer prison to focus on rehabilitation and reform, for others, the focus lies more in crime control models. Institutionalization impacts those
incarcerated to the extent that they cannot function productively in society. This paper will focus on two men searching for freedom. The writer will
expand on what occurs to these men upon release into the cold world that put them in the judicial system. The stories of Kalief Browder

The Wrongful Conviction Of The Criminal Justice System
Since the late 1980s, there have been thousands of cases in which prime suspects have been wrongfully convicted, the most common causes being
eyewitness misidentification, incriminating statements, and statements from informants. According to The Innocence Project, there have been almost
four hundred post–conviction DNA exoneration cases in our country, and they are working to investigate even more wrongful conviction cases. This
life changing program, along with their six attorneys, gather information about thousands of cases and determine whether or not DNA evidence can be
reevaluated. Kenneth Ireland's case was submitted for litigation after they found that the court relied heavily on false statements from witnesses.
Researchers working ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The rape kit evidence unfortunately found that it was impossible to find a match because the sample came from a person who "does not exhibit their
blood type in their bodily fluids" ("The Innocence Project," n. d.), meaning that Ireland could not be immediately ruled out. Ireland ended up pleading
guilty of the crime, most likely to have a lesser sentence. The jury deliberated for three days over the decision, most likely because not all of the
evidence was consistent. Ireland's defense had just enough information for a successful case, but the lack of more evidence in his favor and
information about other possible suspects lead the jury to make the devastating decision of sentencing him to fifty years in prison ("The Innocence
Project," n. d.). There were three charges against Ireland: felony murder, first–degree sexual assault, and third–degree burglary.
In 1991, Ireland appealed the decision by providing two arguments: that the two witnesses were informants and were being given a $20,000 reward to
cover for another man, and that the court prohibited his defense from exhibiting evidence about another possible suspect. Unfortunately, his appeal was
denied. The Innocence Project branch in Connecticut reviewed Ireland's case in 2007 and with the improvement of DNA testing equipment, analysts
confirmed that Ireland was not a match for the suspect. The court found Kevin Benefield guilty of the

The Wrongful Conviction Of Wrongful Convictions Essay
Wrongful convictions Every year, hundreds of people get convicted wrongly as a result of criminal proceedings that are rooted in miscarriage of
justice. The defendants are convicted for crimes not committed where errors are not proven until their death or having served a lot of jail time.
Wrongful convictions are fueled by false witnesses, incompetence of defense lawyers and inadequate evidence among others. However, with the
emergence of forensic DNA in collection of evidence, the rate of wrongful convictions has decreased in the past few years. This paper focuses on the
fallibilities that lead to miscarriage of justice and what role technology has played in correcting and mitigating the previously erroneous judicial system.
Introduction Many people continue to languish in jails all over the word while others have since faced capital punishment as a result of wrongful
convictions. It is from this premise that innovation through DNA analysis has come to provide the much needed relief in correcting these errors. While
there are many factors related to wrongful convictions, miscarriage of justice stands as the main culprit with many of these cases being faced with lack
of conclusive or efficient investigations. There are several factors that come out as the main factors in contributing to miscarriage of justice such as
false confessions, eyewitness misidentification, outdated evidence collection methods, snitches, incompetent lawyers and government misconduct
among others.

Reasons For Wrongful Convictions

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