Innocence

Exonerations by Race

Race	Exonerations
Black	108
White	70
Latino/a	19
Other	3

In This Section

Special Reports

DPIC Special Report: The Innocence Epidemic

In-Depth Reports

Innocence and the Crisis in the American Death Penalty

Alabama Pardons Scottsboro Boys

On November 21, 2013, the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously voted to posthumously pardon Charles Weems, Andy Wright, and Haywood Patterson, three of the nine "Scottsboro Boys," a group of black teenagers who were charged in 1931 of raping two white women.

70 Years Later, Florida Posthumously Pardons the “Groveland Four”

On January 11, 2019, the Florida Clemency Board unanimously granted posthumous pardons to the “Groveland Four,” four young African-American men falsely accused of raping a young white woman in Lake County, Florida in 1949. During the racist hysteria following the accusation, white mobs burned down black residences, a massive white posse lynched a black suspect, all-white juries condemned two innocent men to death and an innocent teen to a life sentence, and a racist sheriff murdered one of the men and attempted to kill another.

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Exonerations by Race

Exonerations by Race