Essay On Wrongful Convictions
Being convicted of a crime that you had nothing to do with must be the most frustrating feeling in the world. Although I had already started a previous research paper, my interest and attention was caught when I viewed an in class video by the name of The Farm: Angola, USA. There were two individuals named George Crawford and Vincent Simmons whose case caught my attention. George Crawford and Vincent Simmons case sounded a little sketchy in my opinion, and the thought of them being wrongfully convicted came to my mind. Although my paper is not about them, their stories inspired me to research about wrongful convictions and exonerations. There are still people who have been convicted 30 years and more, and are still in prison because of how …show more content…
Many news stories, reports, and books fairly describe wrongful convictions in detail, although not all of these wrongful convictions resulted in formal exonerations. Most witness misidentifications were made in good faith with the witness attempting to help officials find the real perpetrator of a crime, although this explanation does not examine the conditions under which these identifications were made. Some of the conditions that need to be taken into account are whether a photo was shown to a victim by the police before a lineup, whether the identification by the witness was hesitant, or if the victim was urged to be positive when testifying. Additionally, was the identification from the same race; was there prejudice, how much distance and duration of interaction was there between victim and suspect prior to identification and what were the viewing conditions; darkness or day light? With so many factors involved, it should be obvious to some why eye-witness misidentification can happen so frequently. Moreover, the testimony of an eyewitness relies on how accurate their memory of an event actually is. Eyewitness misidentification is the greatest contributing factor to wrongful convictions proven by DNA testing, playing a role in more than 70% of convictions overturned through DNA testing nationwide (“Eyewitness Misidentification,”
Summary Of Getting Life By Michael Morton
1667 Words | 7 PagesIntroduction The book that I selected is called “Getting Life” by Michael Morton, who is a man that was wrongfully convicted of killing his wife in Texas in 1986. This book takes us from a happy young couple to the day of the murder, through the investigation into his wife’s murder, Michael’s trial and conviction, 25 years in prison, appeals, release from prison, and reintegration into society. One unique fact about this case is that is the first case where the prosecutor in a wrongful conviction case was subsequently convicted of prosecutorial misconduct, stripped of their law license and sentenced to serve time in jail.
Summary Of The Canadian Case Of Robert Baltovich
335 Words | 2 PagesThe Canadian case I selected in which a wrongful conviction occurred was of Robert Baltovich. In 1992 Baltovich was wrongfully convicted of the murder of his girlfriend Elizabeth Bain and he was sentenced to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for the next 17 years (Innocence Canada, 2016). This case took place in Scarborough, Ontario and Baltovich spent eight years behind bars for a crime he did not do. Baltovich got a retrial and he was finally released on April 22, 2008. Bain’s murder still remains a mystery, her car was found with a bloodstain on the back seat but her body was never discovered.
Wrongful Convictions Book Report
926 Words | 4 PagesManufacturing Guilt Wrongful Convictions in Canada, follows the theme of the first edition where the authors demonstrate what leads to wrongful conviction. We all know that innocent mistakes happen however, wrongful convictions are usually the result of deliberate actions of those working in the criminal justice system and not unintended errors. By using Canadian cases as miscarriages of justice, the authors argues that understanding wrongful convictions and how to prevent them is incomplete outside the broader societal context in which they occur, particularly regarding racial and social inequality. This book also analyzes how forensic science is used as a resource for prosecutors rather than seeking the truth. What is miscarriage of justice?
Research Paper On West Memphis Three
1317 Words | 6 PagesIs it better to assume a man is guilty based on stereotypes and prejudice? Evidence must be substantial and confessions must never be forced or excessive. All evidence must be legally obtained, but sometimes things don’t happen the way they are supposed to. For in May of 1993, unspeakable acts rocked the community of West Memphis, Arkansas. Three boys would go on an innocent bike ride and never return, and three older boys were blamed.
How Did Adnan Get A Second Trial
826 Words | 4 PagesCurrently in the United States there are 2 million incarcerated people. America has a wrongful conviction rate of 1 percent which translates to about 20,000 innocent people being punished for crimes they didn’t do. On January 13, 1999, Adnan Syed was convicted of the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in Baltimore, Maryland. Nobody is completely positive what happened that day or who killed Hae. Most of the suspected events that occurred that day come from the testimony of Jay Wilds, one of Adnan’s friends, who claims to be a witness of the crime and says Adnan is the murderer.
Crime Lineups Paper
754 Words | 4 PagesHistorically, eyewitness accounts of a crime were a vital piece of evidence used in the prosecution of criminal offenses. Lineups were a method used where typically a group of individuals not involved in the crime along with the suspect whom is believed to be directly related to the crime are grouped together for the witness to review in the hopes to identify the suspect. This is accomplished in two ways, the first is simultaneous where several photos are grouped together at the same time (typically six) for the witness to review. This specific procedure raises the issue of certainty from the witness.
Eyewitness Identification In The Criminal Justice System
80 Words | 1 PagesThe criminal justice system depends majorly on eyewitness identification for investigating and prosecuting crimes. Psychologists have been the only ones who have warned the justice system of problems with eyewitness identification evidence. Recent DNA exoneration cases have corrupted the warnings of eyewitness identification researchers by showing that mistaken eyewitness identification was the largest factor contributing to the conviction of many innocent people eyewitness testimonies are not reliable therefor you would assume they would be taken out of court, but instead
Wrongful Convictions Pros And Cons
624 Words | 3 PagesIt is as simple as a DNA test to have someone released on a crime they didn’t commit. According to Huffington Post in 2015, over 149 were released on a wrongful conviction being out highest number in years. (Ferner 2016) The most common reason for the convicted is eyewitness misinterpretation, when the witness is left to decide who they thought it could've been.
Wrongful Conviction
777 Words | 4 PagesEyewitness misinterpretation is the highest contributing factor to wrongful convictions. The majority of the wrongful convictions have been corrected by DNA. Exoneration cases that have involved convictions are based on mistaken identification and/or mistaken or overlooked evidence. While there had been evidence in the book “The Picking Cotton,” of police misconduct/ biased based on race. While prosecutors and law enforcement officials are expected, to be honest, uphold the law, have the best intentions to protect society and act with integrity but the pressure to get the right perpetrator my lead police to act inappropriate, unfair or in an unlawful manner, government misconduct can include withholding or fabricating evidence, suggestive ways
Wrongful Convictions In Criminal Justice
539 Words | 3 PagesLuckily, it is known what causes wrongful convictions and how to fix them. Many wrongful convictions are due to mistaken eyewitnesses, jailhouse snitches, or false evidence. I think many of the wrongful convictions could be solved with harder evidence, more information. A case should not rely on a single eye witness but multiple.
Eyewitness Identification Essay
1228 Words | 5 PagesEyewitness identification is ineffective and unjust. Studies have shown that 40% of eyewitness identifications are wrong (Vrij, 1998). Eyewitness identification has great importance in the legal system. This requires the best eyewitness testimony procedure. This essay examines the three main types of eyewitness line-ups; the showup, the sequential and the simultaneous line-up.
Essay On Eyewitness Testimony
1207 Words | 5 PagesIt has also been found that there are different strategies that witnesses use to identify the perpetrator, Dunning & Stern (1994) have found the 2 strategies and identified them as automatic recognition and the process of
Yuille And Cutshall Essay
620 Words | 3 PagesIn each incident, some characteristics can be more obvious than others, the distance from the incident matters, and what our brain chooses to do with the information we process are all big factors that come into play when trying to answer this question. For some people, their accounts of what occurs in front of their eyes is extremely accurate, while for other people - it is not. What I do know is, eyewitness testimony is to be used as a guideline in courtrooms, and not as any kind of evidence/proof. Too many innocent people have been wrongfully convicted due to false identifications and too many studies have proven that it is not as reliable as we all
Essay On Eyewitnesses
1464 Words | 6 PagesEyewitnesses’ memories which constitute knowledge of the crime could be distorted or forgotten if is not retrieved at the right time and with appropriate methods (Stelfox, 2012: 90). As much as the
Short Term Memory Analysis
535 Words | 3 PagesI believe this is the most important subtopic about memory that many people should know. Every year many people are convicted of crimes they didn't commit due to inaccurate identifications by victims or
More about Essay On Wrongful Convictions
Summary Of Getting Life By Michael Morton
1667 Words | 7 PagesSummary Of The Canadian Case Of Robert Baltovich
335 Words | 2 PagesWrongful Convictions Book Report
926 Words | 4 PagesResearch Paper On West Memphis Three
1317 Words | 6 PagesHow Did Adnan Get A Second Trial
826 Words | 4 PagesCrime Lineups Paper
754 Words | 4 PagesEyewitness Identification In The Criminal Justice System
80 Words | 1 PagesWrongful Convictions Pros And Cons
624 Words | 3 PagesWrongful Conviction
777 Words | 4 PagesWrongful Convictions In Criminal Justice
539 Words | 3 PagesEyewitness Identification Essay
1228 Words | 5 PagesEssay On Eyewitness Testimony
1207 Words | 5 PagesYuille And Cutshall Essay
620 Words | 3 PagesEssay On Eyewitnesses
1464 Words | 6 PagesShort Term Memory Analysis
535 Words | 3 Pages