The Cruel Case of Wrongful Convictions: Conveying a Racial and Criminal Crisis in Our Courts

Author

Cullen Livingston

Date of Award

4-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Political Science

First Advisor

Patrick Donnay

Abstract

Starting in 1989 with the advent of DNA analysis, discourse on wrongful conviction has become more prevalent in the U.S., but lacks an explanation for how they happen. There are a number of studies on the effects of wrongful conviction on its victims in social, mental, and historical terms. There is also a concerning level of scope in this concept, with an uncertainty on how to best measure the amount of people who have been victimized by wrongful convictions and what the rate of these convictions may be. Based on this literature I study three different potential causes, these being a victim's race, the way judges are selected or elected in a certain state, and the type of crime the victim is accused of. The data confirms the first hypothesis, with a weak to moderate correlation and a strong statistical significance, with white 41.7% of white exonerees being freed after 1-20 years compared to minorities, of whom only 16.4% get out in their first 1-20 years. The second hypothesis is not affirmed, with states that have partisan judge elections scoring the 2nd lowest overall in their quickness to exonerate among all non-partisan selection methods, but lacking strong correlative measures. The third hypothesis is not affirmed as well, with those accused of violent crimes spending longer in prison than those accused of sex crimes, however, the correlative measures do show a strong correlation between the type of crime someone is accused of and their length of time in prison.

Recommended Citation

Livingston, Cullen, "The Cruel Case of Wrongful Convictions: Conveying a Racial and Criminal Crisis in Our Courts" (2023). Political Science Theses and Capstones. 4.
https://pines.bemidjistate.edu/capstone-polisci/4