Essay On Wrongful Convictions

Words: 666
Pages: 3

Wrongful convictions are when an innocent defendant is accused and convicted of a crime they did not commit. There have been 337 wrongfully convicted felons in the united states since 1989. Each of these innocent people was in prison at least 14 years each and all together they all have all been in prison for 4,606 years.Wrongful convictions show not only injustice but the failure of the justice system and there should be more done to prevent wrongful convictions.
There are many things that cause wrongful convictions. It could be false confessions, eyewitness misidentification and snitch testimony. A false confession occurs when an innocent person confesses to a crime they did not commit to protect a loved one or to avoid the death penalty and a longer prison sentence. Eyewitness misidentification is when a witness identifies the wrong person or when they perjure themselves on the stand. Eyewitness misidentification is the number one factor to wrongful
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To avoid any bias the prosecutor should let the jury know why the informant is testifying. This may change the weight of the testimony but it can also change the fact that if the informant lied on the stand the jury will have a clear picture of the informant when they make their decision.
There maybe even more causes for wrongful convictions and the justice system should try and eliminate those causes because our justice system should be fair and just. There is no justice in the conviction of innocent people and wrongful convictions show the failure of the justice system. We should try and remedy that failure so that no more innocent people get sent to prison