Wrongful Convictions - Annotated Bibliography Sample

Problem Statement

This paper analyzes the consequences of wrongful convictions and the factors associated with errors in the United States Justice System. The report provides a wide range of official data statistics, victim experiences, and examination of legal and professional practices to substantiate the issues that lead to the incarceration of innocent people.

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Annotated Bibliography

Batts, A. W., DeLone, M., & Stephens, D. W. (2015). Policing and wrongful convictions. Journal of Current Issues in Crime, Law, and Law Enforcement 8(2), 261-288. www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=268414

The article was written by Anthony Batts; Darrel Stephens and Maddy deLone. They worked together with Harvard University and the John F Kennedy School of Government Program in Criminal Justice Policy Management and published by the National Institute of Justice in the United States. Given the amalgamation of individual and corporate authorship, the paper presents facts from governmental and private research that are essential for my study.

The article has four sections, and the first section of the paper reviews the outcomes of studying exonerations concerning erroneous convictions over the last two decades. The authors address various aspects of wrongful convictions, which include; the characteristics of exonerated individuals, the factors that lead to jailing innocent people, and how the issue can be resolved. The second section delineates the role of cognitive bias. The third one discusses the recommendations due to research based on minimizing cases of wrongful convictions. The last section addresses the role of police in post-judgment investigations to discover errors that may have been made during the prosecution.

The article's main point is to advise the essence of following the proposed recommendations in the fight against wrongful convictions. The police are required not to overlook actual culprits, and avoid using misleading evidence and unscrupulous methods of investigating crimes.

The paper is essential to my research problem in the provision of a wide range of opinions and research results from corporate and individual authors hence strengthening my research. It also gives intuitions to areas that require further investigations for my project to undertake.

Covey, R. (2013). Police misconduct as a cause of wrongful convictions, 90. WASH. U. L. REV. 1133. https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_lawreview/vol90/iss4/2

Russell Covey wrote this article highlighting the misconduct of officials as a factor that leads to wrongful convictions. Covey is a state professor of law and lawyer. He studied philosophy at the University of Princeton and has published several articles in philosophy. Covey has also taught criminal law courses in various universities and colleges. His experience in this field makes him eligible to give opinions and publish articles that provide vital information for future research. Therefore, this aspect makes this source an essential part of my research.

In this article, Covey puts together two cases involving mass exonerations that are a result of police scandals. He is concerned about two particular cases that other scholars have failed to evaluate in detail. In addition to police misconduct, he acknowledged eyewitness misidentification, false confessions, and forensics, among others, as the major causes of wrongful convictions.

The article focuses on two particular scandals in which police officials were involved in wrongful convictions. One of the scandals involved the Rampart division of the LAPD and the other occurred in Tulia, Texas. These were two notable scandals in history that led to mass convictions and exonerations of many individuals later. According to Covey, the study of these cases provides insights into the mechanisms that contribute to wrongful convictions.

This source is essential to my research since it gives insights into the methods employed by police officers that potentially lead to erroneous convictions. This information will help in developing my research.

Gross, S. R., Possley, M. & Stephens, K. (2017). Race and wrongful convictions in the United States. National Registry of Exonerations. www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Documents/Race_and_Wrongful_Convictions.pdf

This article was written by Samuel Gross, who is a senior editor and co-founder of the National Registry of Exonerations which was founded in 2012. He is a lawyer and a professor of law at the University of Michigan, among other institutions where he is credited for excelling. The article was co-authored by Maurice Possley, who is a senior researcher, and Klara Stephens, who was a research fellow. Having worked for many years in the field of law, the authors have published various articles concerning wrongful convictions, their causes, and mitigations. This article is essential to my research in that it significantly uncovers the contribution of race in the erroneous conviction cases that have happened in the United States.

The article highlights the statistical data indicating the American population who have fallen prey to erroneous convictions and exonerated later. This article postulates that African Americans form a minority group in the United States, yet they contribute to the highest erroneous convictions. Among the contributors to these convictions, are 15 large-scale scandals involving the police where large groups of people receive wrongful judgment.

The article precisely focuses on murder, sexual assault, and drug crimes as the primary cases in which racial discrimination contributes to wrongful convictions. It examines the racial patterns in which erroneous convictions occur in cases related to the murder. The authors argue that innocent black Americans are seven times more likely to be erroneously jailed for murder than innocent whites. Of the innocent people who are wrongly convicted of sexual assault, blacks are three and a half times more than whites. And concerning drug abuse, the authors argue that whites and blacks abuse drugs at almost the same rate, but blacks are five times more likely to be jailed than their counterparts.

The statistical data presented in this article articulates the basis of my research problem. It addresses one of the primary factors that are under study in this paper.

Irazola, S., Williamson, E., Stricker, J. & Niedzwiecki, E. (2013). Study of victim experiences of wrongful convictions. NCJRS, 244084, pp. 1-92. www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/244084.pdf

This article was written by four distinguished authors, Seri Irazola, Ph.D., Erin Williamson, Julie Stricker, and Emily Niedzwiecki. Irazola is a principal associate at ABT Associates and an expert in social sciences. She has worked in various fields such as behavioral health, public health, children welfare, and criminal justice. Niedzwiecki, Williamson, and Stricker are also eminent authors who have published various articles in psychology and law. Given the authors’ expertise, it makes this source significant to my research problem.

The study states that the rate of exoneration in the United States has more than doubled over the past three decades. However, significant steps have been taken to assist and identify wrongful convictions. Victims of wrong convictions have a lot of experiences that are unknown to other people. That is the main reason why many departments in the United States researched to give people knowledge on the experiences of victims of wrongful convictions.

The main point of this article is a reflection on the experiences of victims of violence when the wrongfully conflicted individuals are being liberated after the exoneration. itis article highlights the most critical emotional and psychological effects on victims of crime after the realization that convicted individuals are not guilty. It arises from the false witnesses that were involved and the wrongful identification of suspects by these victims. In most circumstances, they are confused between the initial conviction and the later exoneration of these individuals. In an attempt to provide a healing process for the two groups, the author examines possible meetings between the victims of crime and the exonerated individuals. The authors suggest that getting together allows them to speak out their fears and concerns to the other party, thus igniting the healing process.

The article provides statistics and detailed information on wrongful convictions which is the focus of my research. It is also essential to elaborate on the major factors that lead to erroneous convictions.

Kassin, S. M. (2014). False Confessions: Causes, Consequences, and Implications for Reform. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 1(1), 112–121. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732214548678

This article was authored by Saul Kassin, who is a notable professor of psychology at John Jay College located in New York. He is also a former professor at Williams College. Kassin is, among other titles, an author of psychology who has published numerous recognized articles and thoughts, at various universities including Purdue University, the University of Kansas, and served at the Supreme Court. These qualities give the author the authority to research and discuss matters of law and erroneous convictions.

The article focuses on the discovery of the truth that is brought by DNA exoneration cases. It also focuses on the psychology of confessions and evaluating how police officers assess whether suspects are telling the truth or lying, hence, eliciting confessions. The author postulates that the methods used in interrogating suspects are deceptive, and they lure suspects to confess guilty falsely. This way, they undermine the innocence status of such individuals.

The main argument in this article is that false confessions undermine justice leading to the incarceration of innocent individuals. There is an increasing risk of false confessions among people with cognitive impairments, juveniles, and those with mental health issues. Such people are lured to confess erroneously due to the tactics used on them, interrogative lies about evidence, long isolation periods, and promised lenience if they accepted. This way, most people fall into a trap leading to a series of injustices.

This source is relevant to my problem statement through the provision of detailed information about my research problem. It deliberates on how false confessions have led to wrongful convictions, which is my topic of study.

Mungan, M. C. & Klick, J. (2016). Reducing false guilty pleas and wrongful convictions through exoneree compensation. The Journal of Law and Economics 59(1), 173-189. www.law.upenn.edu/live/files/8931-59jle173pdf

The article is authored by two illustrious authors Murat Mungan and Jonathan Klick. Mungan is an expert in law and economics, and he is affiliated with Florida State University and George Manson University. Klick is an American empirical law expert and economist based at the University of Pennsylvania. He has written and published on health, criminal punishment, business regulation, moral hazards, and tort liability. Therefore, their experience in law is vital to my research project.

The article focuses on the bargains that persuade innocent individuals to falsely plead guilty. The authors did exclusive research which is substantial in the criminal justice system, they analyzed step-by-step developments in wrongful convictions in history. It highlights how misleading people contribute to the conviction of the innocent. Actions by officers have been a great contributor, these include the provision of false evidence, violent interrogation, and witness tampering.