Wrongful Conviction

The emergence of forensic DNA analysis in the late 1980s has enhanced the criminal justice system's ability to find the truth. In addition to facilitating the identification and conviction of the guilty, the DNA testing has also exposed a large and growing number of cases in which innocent people were convicted of crimes they did not commit. For the first time, the criminal justice system now has a body of cases in which there is scientific proof that the truth-finding mechanisms of the system failed. Jump-started by the DNA cases, recognition of wrongful convictions has expanded to include cases without any DNA as well. The study of these wrongful convictions has revealed numerous causes of errors related to the way evidence is collected and cases ...

  • Loading...
locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles