Literature Review: Wrongful Convictions

By Sara M.
Wrongful convictions are a concerning issue for the U.S criminal justice system. Boaz Sangero, Head of the Department of Criminal Law at the Academic College of Law, states that there were 2,566 exonerations from wrongful convictions as of March 2020. Earl Smith, Professor of American Ethics and Sociology at Wake Forest University, furthers the extent by estimating that six percent of people incarcerated are innocent. If this is accurate, “as many as 140,000 people may be factually innocent” (Smith and Hattery 3). This is problematic because, in wrongful convictions, innocent people are punished while perpetrators remain free and the public is at risk, according to Jon Gould, Professor in the Department of Justice, Law and Criminology at American University. Additionally, data shows racial disparity as a contributor to wrongful convictions. Seventy percent of exonerees have been black, despite only being 40-50% of the incarcerated population, illustrating that they are “disproportionately represented” in wrongful convictions (Smith and Hattery 4). This literary review analyzes wrongful convictions with a cultural/social lens. A careful evaluation of research highlights how the effects of racial bias, and unreliable evidence lead to wrongful convictions, and how reforms in the criminal justice system can prevent them. 

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