The Innocence Commission
The Innocence Commission
Learning Team C
Dianna Kirkland, Heather Vanduyne, & Raquel Wells
Criminal Court Systems CJA 380 (R1)
Gwendolyn W Burrell
July 3rd 2005
Abstract
There are several reasons for wrongful convictions. Half of the wrongful convictions can be blamed on police misconduct and other wrongful convictions included false statements and mistaken identity. Wrongful convictions could and should be prevented. One of the most common forms of police misconduct is use of force. We can reduce and eliminate wrongful convictions by punishing police and witnesses who conduct illegal activity and lie on the stand under oath.
Introduction
Wrongful conviction can be described as a miscarriage of justice or an unfair decision in a court of law. It is important to identify wrongful convictions and find ways to reduce or eliminate the causes. We need to free the wrongly prosecuted through DNA testing and help educate the public that wrongful convictions are not isolated or rare events that happen. The major causes of wrongful convictions that occur now days are police misconduct, false statements, and mistaken identity.
Causes
According to Barry Scheck, there are several reasons for wrongful convictions. He claims 84% of convictions are due to mistaken identity. He continues by stating that 23% of the time individuals make false confessions. Scheck states that police misconduct is another leading cause of wrongful convictions. Police misconduct happens in 50% of cases. Out of 100 wrongful convictions police misconduct can be blamed for 50 of those. These numbers are staggering. Between witnesses making false statements and police abusing their powers a large number of wrongful convictions could and should be prevented.
While researching why mistaken identities, false confessions, and police misconduct are...
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