Wrongful Convictions And Its Effect On Society - 6680 Words

Introduction Many of us are familiar with historical films such as â€Å"The Shawshank Redemption†, but the reality is that wrongful convictions have occurred throughout history and although less frequently, still occur today. A wrongful conviction can greatly impact an individual’s life and may continue to be an issue even after exoneration. Many people are under the impression that individuals who are wrongfully convicted and later exonerated have won the battle over the justice system, however this is rarely the case. Exonerees experience great amounts of hardship once released back into society. There are flaws in the justice system, which make it extremely difficult for exonerees to experience true freedom. Wrongful convictions occur not only in the United States, but also across the entire globe. It is a serious injustice when an innocent person is forced to experience life as a convicted felon. Causes of Wrongful Convictions â€Å"Although numerous cases of wrongful convictions have been documented in the literature and in the media, criminologists have yet to devise a methodology for estimating the extent of such errors in the criminal justice system.† (Poveda, 2001) Since DNA testing has been utilized in the justice system, wrongful convictions have become less frequent and exoneration rates have increased. â€Å"There are many factors involved when consider the causes of wrongful convictions. Eyewitness misidentification is a leading cause for wrongful convictions.† (InnocenceShow MoreRelatedVictims Of The American Criminal Justice System851 Words   |  4 Pagesnow, America has been a place where laws, crimes, and other stipulations have a cause and effect. Since America’s inception as a free land, in this land people are obligated to follow laws and orders directed by the United States Government. However, many follow the laws and become victims of the American Criminal Justice system. Hence, we have people who become victims of wrong convictions. Wrongful conviction is define as a person who is currently serving a sentence via incarceration for a crimeRead MoreThe Conviction Of A Wrongful Conviction1671 Words   |  7 Pagesdid 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 â€Å"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 misconductRead MoreDeath Penalty1333 Words   |  6 Pagesconsidered to be cruel and unusual punishment brought down by the Supreme Court in 1972. That is not the case in today’s society because in 1976 the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty did not violate any constitutional amendments as long asit is carried out in a careful and judicious manner†(ProQuest Staff, 2013). The issues surrounding the death penalty involves wrongful convictions, cost of a death sentence, and is it still effective and moral. Some say the sentence of death is not as effectiveRead MoreThe Criminal Justice System Is Fair And True1260 Words   |  6 Pagesinvestigations and prosecutorial misconduct. Our criminal justice system is based on th e concept that every wrong has a cause and effect, thus forcing us to punish any and all offenders, but with all the faults in our system how do we know who’s guilty of committing the crime? Most of the time this is when wrongful convictions occurs. A simple definition of wrongful conviction is when innocent defendants are found guilty in criminal trials. Frequently these innocent defendants are forced to go as farRead MoreEyewitness Testimony Essay1299 Words   |  6 Pagestestimony tends to be the primary focus. Many wrongful convictions have occurred due to these false eyewitness statements. According to George Vallas, in â€Å"A survey of Federal and State Standards for the Admission of Expert Testimony on the Reliability of Eyewitness,† â€Å"The central problem with corroboration is somewhat different from the issues confronted thus far; rather than endangering innocent defendants, such requirements have the potential to harm society by making it more difficu lt to convict guiltyRead MoreIdentifying Innocent People On Death Row1381 Words   |  6 Pagesof how many people on death row should truly be there and what percent are innocent. Jay D. Aronson works at Carnegie Mellon University as an Assistant Professor of Science, Technology and Society, and Simon A. Cole works at the University of California as an Assistant professor of Criminology, Law and Society. According to Jay Aronson and Simon Cole â€Å"both abolitionists and death penalty reformers, who seek to promote a ‘scientific’ death penalty centered on DNA evidence, draw upon a mythologizedRead MoreCommunity Corrections Programs Should Be Maintained Under Control Essay1476 Words   |  6 PagesCromwell, Del Carmen, 2008). This does not mean that every person will be deterred from committing future crimes, it just implies that the majority of those involved in a community corrections program will have better behavior when reintegrating to society. On the other ha nd, the inmates convicted of violent crimes are not afforded the opportunity to be part of a community corrections program; thus, more often than not, they serve the majority, if not all, of their sentence in prison. NeverthelessRead MoreWrongful Convictions And The Criminal Justice System1933 Words   |  8 Pagesthe 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 scienceRead MoreThe Pursuit Of Freedom And Justice There Was A Hurricane1459 Words   |  6 Pageswas a Hurricane In times of national discontent and social injustice, music is one of the leading forms of rebellion and storytelling. In 1975, Bob Dylan contributed to this rebellious storytelling narrative by creating â€Å"Hurricane† a song about the wrongful imprisonment of middleweight fighter Rubin â€Å"Hurricane† Carter. There is a common idea that the issues we face do not have the same magnitude the issues our predecessors faced. By assuming this idea, the implications of similar issues are ignoredRead MorePersuasive Essay : Convicting The Innocent1938 Words   |  8 Pagesnotion that wrongful convictions do happen. The main question raised is how frequently do wrongful convictions occur? After research proves more wrongful convictions, the question of how do these convictions happen? Is it possible to stop wrongful convictions, or reduce the problem? Researchers have uncovered the truths and facts of the American justice system leading to wrongful convictions. In Borchard s book Convicting the Innocent, he documented 65 cases that were related to wrongful convictions