Alyssa Lynch
Professor Yoshimura
AJS101
September 16th, 2017
Wrongful Convictions Wrongful convictions occur when defendants are found to be guilty during trial or plead guilty to crimes they did not commit to avoid a more serious sentence. It is a horrible injustice that can cause someone who is innocent to spend years on death row or in prison. The failure to provide the necessary amount of evidence of innocence is the main reason why innocent people get convicted during trial. But what else can cause these convictions? The main causes are eyewitness misidentification, forensic science mistakes, and false confessions. “ 71% of overturned convictions examined by the U.S. innocence project involved eyewitness misidentification,” (Geddes …show more content…
Some of the forensic methods used today don’t always produce accurate information, and may not always be validated. When the forensic analyst is used to testify on the stand, they may exaggerate. For example, they may state that it is unlikely for this evidence/DNA to belong to someone else. They fail to inform the jury of method errors or the odds of mixing samples. In many cases the analyst is one-sided and is testifying to help the prosecutors. They will testify against the defendant with forensic proof coming from multiple aspects of DNA. Such as rape kits, finger prints, etc. with multiple chances of cross contamination happening. In which they will mix up the evidence from the scene with the DNA swab they took from the suspect, causing the suspect to look …show more content…
Although many prisoners leave prison unchanged, many can face psychological issues after years of being locked in a cell. A recent study shows that when they were assessing a sample group of male inmates they found a change in behavior. “12 met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder, and most reported additional mood and anxiety disorders. There were major problems of psychological and social adjustment, particularly within families,” (Adrian 1). Many can develop mood/anxiety disorders, as well as problems dealing with social adjustment when returning to their everyday lives. Depending how long an innocent inmate must spend being locked up can lead them into depression and they can begin to develop suicidal thoughts. Following their release, they tend to have a tough time getting used to their normal life and facing their wife/kids again and they will develop trust issues and have problems dealing with their sexual relationships. Being the leading cause or psychotic breaks in inmates, how can you make up for this
Professor Yoshimura
AJS101
September 16th, 2017
Wrongful Convictions Wrongful convictions occur when defendants are found to be guilty during trial or plead guilty to crimes they did not commit to avoid a more serious sentence. It is a horrible injustice that can cause someone who is innocent to spend years on death row or in prison. The failure to provide the necessary amount of evidence of innocence is the main reason why innocent people get convicted during trial. But what else can cause these convictions? The main causes are eyewitness misidentification, forensic science mistakes, and false confessions. “ 71% of overturned convictions examined by the U.S. innocence project involved eyewitness misidentification,” (Geddes …show more content…
Some of the forensic methods used today don’t always produce accurate information, and may not always be validated. When the forensic analyst is used to testify on the stand, they may exaggerate. For example, they may state that it is unlikely for this evidence/DNA to belong to someone else. They fail to inform the jury of method errors or the odds of mixing samples. In many cases the analyst is one-sided and is testifying to help the prosecutors. They will testify against the defendant with forensic proof coming from multiple aspects of DNA. Such as rape kits, finger prints, etc. with multiple chances of cross contamination happening. In which they will mix up the evidence from the scene with the DNA swab they took from the suspect, causing the suspect to look …show more content…
Although many prisoners leave prison unchanged, many can face psychological issues after years of being locked in a cell. A recent study shows that when they were assessing a sample group of male inmates they found a change in behavior. “12 met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder, and most reported additional mood and anxiety disorders. There were major problems of psychological and social adjustment, particularly within families,” (Adrian 1). Many can develop mood/anxiety disorders, as well as problems dealing with social adjustment when returning to their everyday lives. Depending how long an innocent inmate must spend being locked up can lead them into depression and they can begin to develop suicidal thoughts. Following their release, they tend to have a tough time getting used to their normal life and facing their wife/kids again and they will develop trust issues and have problems dealing with their sexual relationships. Being the leading cause or psychotic breaks in inmates, how can you make up for this