Abstract
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."

Tags:trial, appeal, defendants, DNA, evidence

Abstract
This reviews the impact of wrongful convictions on the public. In today's world, not a single justice system is really handling criminal cases with one hundred percent accuracy.

Abstract
This paper stresses that the criminal justice system is a form of theater in its subjective flourishes, which can very much alter what happens to the accused. The author points out that an innocent person can be falsely convicted and spend years in a correctional institution based on his looks and behaviors. The paper relates that Stephen Truscott's wrongful conviction demonstrates the absurdity of what can go wrong when an innocent man refuses to confess to a crime he did not commit. The author underscores that the issue of wrongful accusation and conviction points to possible errors by the police, the courts and the handling of evidence. The paper urges that this issue should be examined in the context of Canadian civil culture, which disdains the criminal, especially in cases where the accused is allegedly responsible for sexual offenses and homicides involving children.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Stephen Truscott's Failure to Demonstrate Remorse
Culture and Criminality
The Wrongful Conviction of Guy Paul Morin
Implications

From the Paper
"In October of 1984, Morin was falsely accused of the still unsolved sex murder of 9 year-old Christine Jessop, his next-door neighbor" in Queensville, Ontario. Morin was then aged 25. When Jessop was reported missing, the Durham Regional Police responded and questioned members of the Morin family. It was observed that Guy Paul Morin showed no reaction, looking ahead, as was noted by police as suspicious. This reaction however is seen as one of several typical if unexpected reactions to police questioning, part of what Gudjonsson analyzed as part of the psychology of interrogations, of all kinds, as may produce extreme evasion or non-acceptance that a crime has taken place, as well as unwanted false confessions."

Tags:remorse, homicide, culture, record, evidence

Abstract
This paper present an analysis of two articles that address the problem of wrongful conviction. The paper also focuses on cultural factors in expectations of criminals, presumed intentions, arrangement of evidence; the paper notes false conviction is relatively common, explored only in cases of murder or sexual assault towards inestimable cases. The approach of awarding compensation is done in only some of the American states. The paper's mention of UK patterns also demonstrates significant false conviction.

Tags:injustice, system, international, prisoner

Abstract
This paper discusses how a wrongful conviction is a miscarriage of justice and occurs when a person is convicted and punished for a crime he did not commit. The paper also looks at how most criminal justice systems have some means to overturn or rectify a wrongful conviction, but this is very difficult to achieve. Finally, the paper looks at the causes of some of these wrongful convictions and contends that when an innocent person is wrongfully convicted, it is definitely a serious miscarriage of justice.

Outline:
Introduction
The Causes of Wrongful Convictions
Case Examples
Suggestions to Eliminate Wrongful Convictions
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The most common reason for a wrongful conviction is because of a mistaken I.D. Studies have been done over the years to determine the error percentage. But from 1932 when the first study done by Borchard through 1996 conducted by Huff, Rattner, and Sagarin, the percentages range anywhere from 45% to 60%. The biggest reason for witness misidentification is because most police departments show victims pictures simultaneously rather than one at a time. Studies show fewer errors are made when pictures are shown one at a time. In addition, sometimes victims want to identify the offender so badly that he or she may identify anyone who even remotely looks like the person or persons who wronged them."

Tags:innocence, mistaken, identification, law, enforcement, prosecution, police

Abstract
The paper explores why somebody would confess to a crime they did not commit and identifies several types of people who falsely confess. The paper discusses how the criminal justice system tends to set the confession of the defendant as the most important and irreversible proof of guilt, ignoring evidence to the contrary, other statements and other possible suspects. The paper maintains that it is crucial for the police to closely follow the criminal procedure even when faced with a confession from the most likely suspect.

From the Paper
"The English jurist William Blackstone once declared that it would be "better for ten guilty persons to escape than for one innocent to suffer" . The principle is still applicable today as wrongful convictions do so much damage and ruin so many lives. They can no longer be considered simple "regrettable anomalies " of a system that works properly. There are many factors leading to such unfortunate developments in a case out of which the most important are: insufficient, corrupted or false evidence, untrue witness statements, including confessions, biased evaluations and other unfortunate happenings. Wrongful convictions due to false confessions are a great problem that the criminal justice system has been and is still facing."

Tags:criminals, justice, innocence, guilt, police, law, enforcers

Abstract
This paper discusses wrongful conviction in the criminal justice system in the United States. The paper analyzes how it is now evident that there are hundreds of individuals that have been incarcerated who are innocent and how in recent years many of these innocent individuals have been released after serving time on death row or having been incarcerated for decades for crimes that they did not commit.

From the Paper
"Wrongful Conviction in the Criminal Justice System Introduction Wrongful convictions have been recorded in the United States since the early 1800s. While it has been historically believed that all individuals convicted of crime claim to be innocent although they are guilty, it is now evident that there are hundreds of individuals that have been incarcerated who are innocent. Furthermore, in recent years many of these innocent individuals have been released after serving time on death row, or having been incarcerated for decades for crimes that they did not commit. The public concern for this issue has only been realized in the past few decades since the advancements of DNA testing, and the ability of scientists to prove innocence in many cases. However, forensic science is not the only method that is used to convict in this country."

Tags:wrongful, conviction, criminal

Abstract
This paper first presents and overview of the crime Ruben Carter was accused of and sentenced to life imprisonment for and then takes a look at the impact this case has had on the American judicial system once it was determined that Carter had been wrongfully convicted. The paper points out that, despite the increased awareness of the inadequacies of the American judicial that Carter's case generated and the improvements in the justice system brought about by DNA technology, many Americans continue to be wrongfully convicted to this day in the United States of America.

From the Paper
"The case of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter has become a symbol, both negative and positive, for American's judicial system. Rubin carter's case has had a profound impact on accused and convicted criminals today. The advent of DNA technology has helped to reduce the number of wrongful convictions, and has also been instrumental in exonerating a number of convicted prisoners. While DNA technology has had an important impact on the criminal justice system, experts argue that the number of wrongful convictions is an increasing problem in the United States. One website lists 22 potential wrongful convictions on Texas' death row alone. Racism played an important role in Carter's original conviction, and today allegations of racism continue to plague the criminal justice system. The legal damage to the right of habeas corpus by the Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 has reduced the ability of prisoners to demand the right to be brought before a judge to determine if they have been unlawfully imprisoned. Altogether, while Rubin Carter's case brought a great deal of public attention and sympathy to the issue of wrongful convictions, accused and convicted criminals today continue to fact the problem of wrongful conviction."

Tags:african, american, triple, murder, lafayette, grill, eyewitness, shooting, crime, evidence, conflicting

Abstract
Discussion of the large number of innocent people sentenced to death in Florida, then exonerated and freed. Florida's Death Penalty Reform Act of 2000. Examples of wrongful convictions. Death penalty in other States. Division between Northern and Southern states. High number of African Americans on death row. Death penalty vs. life without parole.

From the Paper
"The Death Penalty in Florida
Introduction:


Florida leads the nation in the number of innocent people sentenced to death, then exonerated and freed. Since the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the resumption of the death penalty in 1976, Florida has reversed the convictions of 20 Death Row inmates, more than any other state in the nation. In 1999, 75 percent of the death.penalty cases brought before the appeals court were overturned. (Goering, 2000, B2) In fact, the death penalty does not serve the public interest of real justice, for Florida or anywhere else.


REVISION TO THE DEATH PENALTY LAWS:
Florida has by far the largest number of Death Row cases where an inmate was granted a new trial either because prosecutors..."

Abstract
A discussion of the difference between right and wrong and whether society knows how to discern between the two. The author discusses the case of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson who abducted and killed a two year old boy as well as various cases and scenarios to explain the debate.

From the Paper
"In February 1993, in Liverpool, England, two ten year old boys abducted two year old James Bulger and murdered him. In a case which shocked the whole country, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson were found guilty of murder, and were sentenced to imprisonment, at the age of ten. Since then, there has been numerous moral and ethical arguments put forward, contesting the justifiability of their sentence. The trial of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson was held before an adult jury. Witnesses were called, including Irene Slack, the headmistress of the school where the boys attended. In her evidence she said that from the age children enter school, they have a sense of right and wrong."

Tags:abduction, bulger, conviction, james, jon, moral, murder, robert, thompson, understanding, venables