Entries tagged with “National Registry of Exonerations”

Policy Issues

Innocence

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Mar 25, 2024

National Registry of Exonerations’ Annual Report Finds Majority of Exonerees are People of Color and Official Misconduct is the Main Cause of Wrongful Convictions

This week, The National Registry of Exonerations pub­lished its annu­al report on exon­er­a­tions that took place in 2023. According to the report, ​“The Registry record­ed 153 exon­er­a­tions last year, and near­ly 84% (127/​153) were peo­ple of col­or. Nearly 61 per­cent of the exonerees (93/​153) were Black,” while the most fre­quent fac­tor in their wrong­ful con­vic­tion was offi­cial mis­con­duct. ​“Seventy-five homi­cide cas­es — 85% of homi­cide exon­er­a­tions in 2023 — were marred by offi­cial mis­con­duct.” Three out…

Policy Issues

Innocence

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Race

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Sep 30, 2022

Report: Black People 7.5 Times More Likely to Be Wrongfully Convicted of Murder than Whites, Risk Even Greater if Victim was White

Black peo­ple are about 7½ times more like­ly to be wrong­ful­ly con­vict­ed of mur­der in the U.S. than are whites, and about 80% more like­ly to be inno­cent than oth­ers con­vict­ed of mur­der, accord­ing to a new report by the National Registry of Exonerations. The already dis­pro­por­tion­ate risk of wrong­ful con­vic­tion, the Registry found, was even worse if the mur­der vic­tim in a case was…

Policy Issues

Innocence

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Official Misconduct

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Race

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Aug 26, 2022

DPIC Analysis: At Least a Dozen Exonerations in 2021 Involved the Wrongful Threat or Pursuit of the Death Penalty

A Death Penalty Information Center review of data from the National Registry of Exonerations has found that the pur­suit or threat­ened use of the death penal­ty by police or pros­e­cu­tors in nine dif­fer­ent states led to the wrong­ful mur­der con­vic­tions of at least twelve inno­cent peo­ple who were exonerated in…

Policy Issues

Innocence

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Official Misconduct

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Mar 18, 2021

New York Judge Finds Queens Prosecutor Lied to Convict Three Men Wrongfully Imprisoned in 1990s Death-Penalty Case

A New York City judge has released three men from prison after 24 years impris­on­ment for mur­der, find­ing that a high-rank­ing pros­e­cu­tor in the Queens County District Attorney’s office delib­er­ate­ly con­cealed excul­pa­to­ry evi­dence while pur­su­ing the death penal­ty against a teenage…

Policy Issues

Innocence

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Official Misconduct

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Oct 23, 2020

DPIC Analysis: Use or Threat of Death Penalty Implicated in 19 Exoneration Cases in 2019

Prosecutors or police used or threat­ened to use the death penal­ty as a coer­cive tool that led to or extend­ed the wrong­ful con­vic­tions of at least nine­teen peo­ple who were exon­er­at­ed in 2019, a Death Penalty Information Center analy­sis of data from the National Registry of Exonerations has revealed. Nearly 95% of those cas­es also involved some oth­er form of major mis­con­duct, the DPIC analysis…

Policy Issues

Innocence

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Official Misconduct

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DPI Reports

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Oct 23, 2020

DPIC Analysis: Use or Threat of Death Penalty Implicated in 19 Exoneration Cases in 2019

The use or threat of the death penal­ty was a fac­tor in more than 13% of exon­er­a­tions across the United States in 2019 and near­ly 95% of those cas­es involved some form of major mis­con­duct, a Death Penalty Information Center analy­sis of data from the National Registry of Exonerations has revealed. The DPIC review found that the death penal­ty played a role in at least 19 of the 143 exon­er­a­tions in 2019 (13.3%) list­ed in the Registry’s annu­al exon­er­a­tions report, result­ing in near­ly 500 years…

Policy Issues

Innocence

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Apr 03, 2020

2019 Exoneration Report: Official Misconduct and Perjury Remain Leading Causes of Wrongful Homicide Convictions

Official mis­con­duct and per­jury or false accu­sa­tion con­tin­ue to be the main rea­sons inno­cent men and women are wrong­ful­ly con­vict­ed in America, accord­ing to the 2019 annu­al report by the National Registry of Exonerations. That mis­con­duct, the report indi­cates, is most preva­lent in cas­es involv­ing the most serious criminal…

Policy Issues

Innocence

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Official Misconduct

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Apr 23, 2019

Wrongful Use or Threat of Capital Prosecutions Implicated in Five Exonerations in 2018

At least five peo­ple were exon­er­at­ed in 2018 after hav­ing been wrong­ful­ly con­vict­ed in cas­es that involved the mis­use or threat­ened use of the death penal­ty, a DPIC analy­sis of data accom­pa­ny­ing a new report by the National Registry of Exonerations has shown. The National Registry’s annu­al report on wrong­ful con­vic­tions, Exonerations in 2018, record­ed a record 151 new exon­er­a­tions across the United States in 2018, includ­ing 68 exon­er­a­tions result­ing from wrongful homicide…

Apr 09, 2019

DPIC ANALYSIS: 2018 Exoneration Report Shows Official Misconduct and Perjury Remain Leading Causes of Wrongful Homicide Convictions

A record 151 men and women were exon­er­at­ed across the United States in 2018, accord­ing to the National Registry of Exonerations’ 2018 annu­al report on wrong­ful con­vic­tions. The report, Exonerations in 2018, includ­ed 68 exon­er­a­tions result­ing from wrong­ful homi­cide con­vic­tions. A DPIC analy­sis of data accom­pa­ny­ing the report shows that at least five peo­ple were exon­er­at­ed in 2018 after hav­ing been wrong­ful­ly con­vict­ed in cas­es that involved the mis­use or threat­ened use of the death…

Policy Issues

Innocence

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Official Misconduct

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Race

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Mar 08, 2017

Reports Find Record Number of Exonerations in 2016, Blacks More Likely to be Wrongfully Convicted

Companion reports released on March 7 by the National Registry of Exonerations found record num­bers of exon­er­a­tions and wrong­ful con­vic­tions involv­ing offi­cial mis­con­duct in 2016, and strik­ing evi­dence of racial bias both in the wrong­ful con­vic­tions them­selves and in the time it took the judi­cial process to exon­er­ate the wrong­ful­ly incar­cer­at­ed. The Registry’s report, Exonerations in 2016, found a record 166 exon­er­a­tions in 2016, with 54 defen­dants exonerated of…

Policy Issues

Innocence

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Feb 03, 2016

National Registry of Exonerations Reports Record 58 Homicide Exonerations in 2015, Including 5 from Death Row

A report released on February 3 by the National Registry of Exonerations (NRE) report­ed that a record 149 defen­dants were exon­er­at­ed in 2015, includ­ing 58 con­vict­ed of homi­cide, also a record for exon­er­a­tions in a sin­gle year. Overall, 39% of last year’s exon­er­a­tions were in homi­cide cas­es. Using slight­ly dif­fer­ent cri­te­ria than DPIC’s exon­er­a­tion list, the NRE report­ed five exon­er­a­tions of defen­dants who had been sentenced to…