Wrongful Convictions

Question 1

Eyewitness Identification Error

Answer 1

Eyewitness evidence can be unreliable for many reasons (stress, emotions, lightning, distance issues, memory recall, etc.)

Question 2

False Confession

Answer 2

• Confession is powerful evidence of guilt false confessions lead to wrongful conviction people don’t want to believe someone who already confess to a crime
• They don’t want to believe after the fact that you did not actually commit the crime after you’ve already confessed
• When you confess to something you didnt do

Question 3

Mr. Big Stings

Answer 3

• Police who trick innocent people into confessing
• Police officers spend weeks undercover learning about their suspect after they have gathered information they need from the police and set up fake criminal operations to lure suspects into gangs and then get them to confess to the crime.

Question 4

False guilty Pleas

Answer 4

• When the innocent bargain for their freedom
• An innocent person will plead guilty for a crime for lesser sentence

Question 5

Tunnel Vision

Answer 5

• Focusing on one suspect to the exclusion of all others
• “…a single-minded and overly narrow focus on a particular investigative or prosecutorial theory, so as to unreasonably colour the evaluation of information received and one’s conduct in response to the information.”
• Police and prosecutors seek evidence that fits their theory as opposed to developing a theory based on existing evidence.

Question 6

Systemic Discrimination

Answer 6

• Racism, Gender Bias and Socioeconomic Status
• Research has shown that race and gender play a significant role in wrongful convictions.
• racial minorities are at a higher risk of being wrongly convicted.

Question 7

Evolution Of and errors In Forensic Science

Answer 7

• The conflict in the justice system’s quest for finality and the ever changing nature of science
• DNA analysis was introduced to the criminal justice system in the 1980s and has helped exonerate many innocent people.
• Reliable forensic techniques are still subject to human interpretation and identification, so there is always the potential for error.

Question 8

Jailhouse Informant Testimony

Answer 8

• Untruthful or incorrect testimony can lead to wrongful convictions, especially where there is no concrete physical evidence.
• a common form of informant testimony is from a “jailhouse snitch.” They are often offered incentives to testify, such as a lighter sentence, the withdrawal of criminal charges or money.
• The witness is another person serving the sentence

Question 9

Professional Misconduct

Answer 9

• Professional misconduct relates to how the police and prosecution handle a case, as well as the diligence with which the defense is mounted.
• the vast majority of lawyers and police act with the best of intentions, the defense council can mishandle their client’s case.
• overworked and have a much higher case-load than is sustainable. This effect of being spread too thin could lead to mistakes in judgment.