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The Pros And Cons Of Wrongful Conviction

1295 Words6 Pages

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King Jr.). The societal ill of wrongful convictions is a widespread issue in the U.S. and around the world that some say is detrimental to society while others argue that they benefit society. Is it right for numerous innocent people to sit in jail, some on death’s row, for crimes they did not commit because of a jailhouse informant, inadequate defense, misused forensic evidence, false confessions, or eyewitness misidentification (Innocence Project)? These people deserve justice: wrongful convictions are damaging to those who receive them and to all of society. Wrongful convictions cause people to lose their lives, whether they do that by staying in jail …show more content…

Experts who have researched wrongful convictions of all types explain that the “two white men accused of [Emmett Till’s] murder were later found ‘not guilty’ by an all-white, all-male jury. Four months after the trial, which took place in a segregated courtroom, the two men admitted to kidnapping and murdering Till… Because they had already been acquitted, they could not be tried again. Neither ever served time for Till’s death” (Selby). Besides the blatant bias in the ruling of Till’s case, the two men capable of murder, who should’ve been considered great dangers to their community, were left untouched because of the jury’s decision. Is it right for these people to walk free, even when they have done something unforgivable while someone suffers in their place? When cases are resolved hurriedly, the number of cases law enforcement is handling at once decreases and may help reduce overwhelming multi-tasking, even if the conviction is not accurate. These convictions seem like a solution, but these cases are appealed more often as the convicted person’s innocence can be proved, which leads to more overload and deeper searching into a case than was required originally. Based on estimates of wrongful convictions yet to be proved, “there are over 2.3 million …show more content…

"33 Startling Wrongful Convictions Statistics [2021 Update]". The High Court, 2021, https://thehighcourt.co/wrongful-convictions-statistics/. Accessed 12 Mar 2023.
"Opinion | Life After Wrongful Conviction (Published 2016)". Nytimes.Com, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/opinion/sunday/life-after-wrongful-conviction.html. Accessed 12 Mar 2023.
Redden, Molly. "The innocence gap: how many women are behind bars for crimes they didn't commit?" Mother Jones, vol. 40, no. 4, July-Aug. 2015, pp. 30+. Gale In Context: Biography, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A428277431/GPS?u=nape28931&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=8b9dc1f7. Accessed 6 Mar. 2023.
Selby, Dani. "From Emmett Till To Pervis Payne — Black Men In America Are Still Killed For Crimes They Didn’t Commit". Innocence Project, 2020, https://innocenceproject.org/emmett-till-birthday-pervis-payne-innocent-black-men-slavery-racism/. Accessed 12 Mar 2023.
"3 MLK Quotes That Inspire Criminal Justice Advocacy". Montana Innocence Project, 2022, https://mtinnocenceproject.org/3-mlk-quotes-that-inspire-criminal-justice-advocacy/. Accessed 12 Mar 2023.
Zack, Emma. "What Does Life Look Like After A Wrongful Conviction? - Innocence Project". Innocence Project, 2018, https://innocenceproject.org/what-does-life-look-like-after-a-wrongful-conviction/. Accessed 12 Mar

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