When Justice Fails: Causes and Consequences of Wrongful Convictions

Wrongful convictions have become a prominent concern in state and federal systems of justice. As thousands of innocent prisoners have been freed in the United States in the past few decades, social science researchers and legal actors have produced a wealth of new insights about how and why mistakes occur and what can be done to help prevent further injustices. When Justice Fails surveys the field of innocence scholarship to offer an overview of the key research, legal, and policy issues associated with wrongful convictions. Topics include the leading sources of error, no-crime wrongful convictions, the detection and correction of miscarriages of justice, the aftermath of wrongful convictions, and more. The volume includes references to historic and contemporary instances of miscarriages of justice and presents information gleaned from media sources about the cases and related policy issues. The book is ideally suited for use in undergraduate classes which focus on wrongful convictions and the administration of justice, and can be used in graduate classes, as well. The second edition includes a new chapter on the social context of wrongful convictions, including historical and contemporary issues related to politics, race, and gender. Also, there are now separate chapters for false confessions and pleas (rather than one combined chapter, as in the first edition). The text has been updated throughout with revisions to case narratives, research summaries, and legal and policy issues. Finally, new material has been added focusing on conviction integrity units, the risk of wrongful executions, juvenile justice, and additional future challenges confronting innocence researchers and policymakers.