Wrongly Convicted : Perspectives on Failed Justice

by Westervelt, Saundra D.; Humphrey, John A.; Radelet, Michael L.

• ISBN13: 9780813529523
• ISBN10: 0813529522
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-07-01
• Publisher: Rutgers Univ Pr

Summary

The American criminal justice system contains numerous safeguards to prevent the conviction of innocent persons. The Bill of Rights provides nineteen separate rights for the alleged criminal offender, including the right to effective legal representation and the right to be judged without regard to race or creed. Despite these safeguards, wrongful convictions persist, and the issue has reverberated in the national debate over capital punishment.

The essays in this volume are written from a cross-disciplinary perspective by some of the most eminent lawyers, criminologists, and social scientists in the field today. The articles are divided into four sections: the causes of wrongful convictions, the social characteristics of the wrongly convicted, case studies and personal histories, and suggestions for changes in the criminal justice system to prevent wrongful convictions. Contributors examine a broad range of issues, including the fallibility of eyewitness testimony, particularly in cross-racial identifications; the disadvantages faced by racial and ethnic min

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Michael L. Radelet
Acknowledgments	xiii
Introduction	1	(16)
John A. Humphrey
Saundra D. Westervelt
Part I Causes of Wrongful Convictions
Misinformation and Wrongful Convictions	17	(19)
George Castelle
Elizabeth F. Loftus
False Confessions: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions	36	(19)
Richard A. Leo
From the Jailhouse to the Courthouse: The Role of Informants in Wrongful Convictions	55	(22)
Clifford S. Zimmerman
The Police Role in Wrongful Convictions: An International Comparative Study	77	(22)
Dianne L. Martin
Part II The Social Characteristics of the Wrongly Convicted
Who Are the Wrongly Convicted on Death Row?	99	(15)
William M. Holmes
Racial Bias and the Conviction of the Innocent	114	(21)
Karen F. Parker
Mari A. Dewees
Michael L. Radelet
Part III The Faces of the Wrongly Convicted: Case Studies
More Than a Reasonable Doubt: The Trial and Execution of Frank Ewing	135	(19)
Margaret Vandiver
No Appeal from the Grave: Innocence, Capital Punishment, and the Lessons of History	154	(20)
James R. Acker
Thomas Brewer
Eamonn Cunningham
Allison Fitzgerald
Jamie Flexon
Julie Lombard
Barbara Ryn
Bivette Stodghill
Whodunit? An Examination of the Production of Wrongful Convictions	174	(25)
William S. Lofquist
Part IV Visions for Change in the Twenty-first Century
Back from the Courthouse: Corrective Measures to Address the Role of Informants in Wrongful Convictions	199	(21)
Clifford S. Zimmerman
Effective Assistance of Counsel	220	(21)
Adele Bernhard
DNA and Innocence Scholarship	241	(12)
Barry Scheck
Peter Neufeld
The Adversary System and Historical Accuracy: Can We Do Better?	253	(16)
Daniel Givelber
Erroneous Convictions and the Death Penalty	269	(12)
Michael L. Radelet
Hugo Adam Bedau
About the Editors and Contributors	281	(8)
Index	289