Causes/Cures
CAUSES
Innocent people are wrongfully convicted primarily due to the following reasons.
Click on each cause to learn more.
- Mistaken eyewitness identification
- Lying / incentivized witness testimony
- False confessions / admissions
- Faulty or unreliable forensic science
- Bad lawyering (prosecution & defense)
Innocent people remain in prison undetected for the following reasons.
Click on each reason to learn more:
- No access to DNA / forensic testing
- Evidence from the crime is destroyed
- No access to records
- Records from the case are destroyed
- Unable to get a lawyer (or anyone) to look at the case
CURES
The following measures help guard against wrongful convictions in the first place.
Click on each measure to learn more:
- Eyewitness identification procedure reforms and corroboration requirements
- Specialized discovery rules and evidentiary restrictions in single witness cases
- Recording custodial interrogations of suspects and special protections for juvenile arrestees
- Higher standards for admissibility of forensic testimony in criminal cases and independence / increased oversight of crime labs
- Improving ethical compliance and performance standards of prosecutors and defense lawyers
The following policies and procedures can better ensure that wrongfully convicted prisoners are found, exonerated and helped back into the world outside prison.
Click on each policy/procedure to learn more (Coming soon):
- Access to DNA and other forensic testing
- Proper evidence preservation and cataloging
- Access to public records
- Proper public record preservation
- Access to legal assistance and the courts
- Adequate and prompt compensation after exoneration and immediate access to services
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