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Estimating false convictions: Thousands of Texas prisoners are likely innocent

The string of DNA exonerations witnessed in recent years has made everyone in the justice system aware that more innocent people are convicted of crimes than anyone previously thought. But what percentage of total convictions are false ones?This is a difficult question because it's hard to find an accurate denominator for comparison.Nobody thinks every innocent person has been identified through DNA testing, and indeed no biological evidence exists to test in the vast majority of criminal cases. So even though we know 39 Texans have been exonerated by DNA, we don't know what percentage of criminal convictions overall are false.One of the few datasets that generates a statistically viable denominator comes from capital murder cases, for which a new study from Michigan State provides a new, national calculation:Among defendants sentenced to death in the United States since 1973, at least 2...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on January 15, 2009 (boomark / email).