Wrongful Convictions and Innocence Commissions

Paper Summary:

The paper asserts that wrongful convictions adversely affect more then just the defendant; they also affect family and friends as well as the public's confidence in the criminal justice system. The paper looks at three past cases of wrongful convictions and identifies changes to the court system as well as the role of innocence commissions in preventing such failures.

Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
Wrongful Conviction #1: Tony Ford for Murder
Wrongful Conviction #2: Larry Peterson for Rape and Murder
Wrongful Conviction #3: Ronald Cotton for Rape and Burglary
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The modern American institution of the presumption of innocence as decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in Coffin v. United States, 156 U.S. 432; 15 S. Ct. 394 is often viewed as a logical implementation of Blackstone's Ratio, the simple premise that insists "better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer" (Wikipedia). This concept is hardly unprecedented in history and can trace its roots back through English Common Law (of which William Blackstone was a jurist and historian) to the Old Testament (in the book of Deuteronomy) and even as far back as early Roman Law and its Spartan and Athenian contemporaries (Lewis). The driving principle behind this logic is that the one remuneration that can never be made to the wrongfully is that of time and the life that goes with it. Once lost, they cannot be recovered and the injury extends well beyond the convicted."

Sample of Sources Used:

• A Mistaken Identification Leads to a Wrongful Conviction and Death Sentence - The Tony Ford Story. (1991) Retrieved May 30, 2006 from:http://justicedenied.org/issue/issue_30/tony_ford.html
• Innocent Project, (2001). Case Profiles: Ronald Cotton. Retrieved June 2, 2006 from http://www.innocenceproject.org/case/display_profile.php?id=06
• Lewis (2003). More innocent than before. Retrieved June 7, 2006, from:http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/22/messages/650.html
• The Innocence Project, Case Profiles: Larry Peterson (2006). Retrieved June 7, 2006, from: http://www.innocenceproject.org/case/display_profile.php?id=183
• William Blackstone (2006). Wikipedia: Retrieved June 7, 2006, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Blackstone

More papers on Wrongful Convictions and Innocence Commissions:

• Term Paper # 95807 : "The Innocence Commission: Wrongful Convictions"
• Essay # 102723 : "Wrongful Convictions"
• Article Review # 132580 : "Impressions, Accusations, and Wrongful Convictions"

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