A Reflection

I first became interested in wrongful conviction when I was introduced to the topic through Netflix's docu-series, Making A Murderer. I wrote about my experience watching this series, and how it affected me, a few weeks ago. The post on that is linked here.

Netflix's Making a Murderer

Since watching the series, I've become fascinated and appalled by peoples' stories of wrongful conviction. Through podcasts, television, and movies I've immersed myself in these stories and have done my own research on the side to better understand what went wrong.

What went wrong? That is the question that needs to be asked in cases of wrongful conviction. The answer, is not so easy. The answer, in fact, changes from case to case, from story to story.

In the case of the story I featured on this blog, The Central Park 5, so many things went wrong. Police coercion,  prosecutorial misconduct, and racism all played key roles in the conviction of 5 innocent boys who grew up in prison while serving time for a crime the didn't commit.

In the case of Rodney Lincoln, false witness testimony and incorrect DNA testing were the causes that lead to Rodney spending nearly 40 years in prison.

For John Giuca, prosecutorial and juror misconduct resulted in Giuca spending16 years and counting in prison. He is currently on Riker's Island while his mother fights for justice.

Jeffrey Deskovic, who I had the honor of hearing speak and interviewing, was imprisoned for 16 years after being coerced into confessing. Prosecutorial misconduct leant a hand as well, as did prosecutorial pride in not wanting to admit wrongdoing. But now, after studying and completing law school, Deskovic is an inspiration to others as he fights for his those within the wrongfully convicted community.

John Giuca and his mother Doreen Giuliano

And finally, the most recent profile I've done on this blog is of Anthony DiPippo, who, after false testimony, multiple trials, and the help of Jeffrey Deskovic, is finally free.

I'd like to end this blog post as I began this blog, with a statistic.

According to their website, the Innocence Project, “a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals” reports: “studies that have been done estimate that between 2.3% and 5% of all prisoners in the U.S. are innocent” (Innocence Project). There are currently 2,418,352 prisoners in the United States prison system, allowing for the conclusion that there are between 55,622 and 120,917 people currently behind for crimes they did not commit.

Our justice system needs reformation. Our justice system needs to convict those who are guilty–not those who are innocent. Our justice system needs adhere to its name and act justly.