Wrongful conviction

A criminal conviction of someone who did not commit the crime or was not legally guilty. It can result from investigative, evidentiary, or legal failures.

Eyewitness misidentification: An incorrect identification of a suspect by someone who witnessed a crime. Mistaken identifications can persuade juries despite weak corroborating evidence.
Central Park Five: Five Black and Latino teenagers wrongfully convicted in the 1989 assault and rape of a jogger in New York City. Their convictions relied heavily on confessions later contradicted by DNA evidence and another man's account.
Exoneration: The formal clearing of a person previously convicted of a crime. It corrects a wrongful conviction but does not automatically repair its consequences.
Acquittal: A court's finding that a defendant is not guilty of the charged offense. An acquittal prevents conviction but does not establish that the defendant was factually innocent.
False confession: A statement admitting guilt that is untrue, whether made voluntarily or under pressure. Coercion, exhaustion, or deceptive questioning can produce admissions to crimes not committed.
The Guildford Four: Four people wrongfully convicted of 1974 IRA bombings in England and released after their convictions were quashed in 1989. The case exposed coerced confessions and serious failures in police evidence handling.
Compensation for wrongful conviction: Money or other remedies provided to people whose convictions were later overturned or pardoned. Compensation addresses some losses, but eligibility and adequacy vary widely.
Pardon: An executive act of clemency that forgives an offense or removes some legal consequences of conviction. A pardon may relieve punishment without reversing the conviction or declaring innocence.
Forensic science in criminal investigations: The use of scientific methods and evidence to investigate crimes and support legal proceedings. Unreliable methods or overstated conclusions can make forensic testimony misleading.
The Birmingham Six: Six Irish men wrongfully convicted of 1974 Birmingham pub bombings and released when their convictions were quashed in 1991. Their case became a prominent example of unreliable forensic evidence and police misconduct.

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