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Wrongful Convictions Research Paper

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There are numerous flaws in the criminal justice system that prevent justice from being served. One of these flaws are wrongful convictions. A wrongful conviction is when a person is convicted and punished for an offense that they did not commit. Some of the common causes of wrongful convictions are eyewitness misidentification, false confessions, government misconduct, and bad lawyering. Eyewitness misidentification is a main cause of wrongful convictions. DNA has proven that eyewitness misidentification is frequently inaccurate. Eyewitness misidentification can range from witnesses creating a description or inaccurately remembering the description of a suspect. False confessions are an additional cause of wrongful conviction. Some of the false confessions could be a result of a mental illness, police torture, or just ignorance. There are many cases where innocent individuals make incriminating statements. However, “these factors are not the only causes of wrongful convictions. Each case is unique and many include a combination of issues.” (Innocence Clinic, n.d.)
The criminal justice system was designed to help bring justice and equality in our society. However, there are several instances where the criminal justice system has failed. This is seen in the wrongful conviction of numerous Americans. There are more underlying …show more content…
For example, Olhey’s study used data provided by The National Registry of Exonerations. Emily Niedzwiecki, Erin J. Williamson, Julie M. Stricker, Seri P. Irazola’s study in 2014, examined 11 cases of wrongful convictions involving nonfederal violent crimes. This methodology is similar to Earl Smith and Angela J. Hattery, who analyzed data from past studies and the Innocence Project. In addition, Talia Harmon analyzed data that was collected from past studies and she also looked at 82 cases of exonerations. ii. Key

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