Numbers to chew on
Apr. 24th, 2007 03:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
drwexThe Innocence Project has secured the exoneration of its 200th person wrongfully convicted of a crime, based on DNA testing. The 200 served about 2,475 years in prison for crimes they didn't commit. Story on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/23/dna.exoneration.ap/index.html
I agree that even one wrongful conviction is too many, and I support the project's goals of systemic reform (required DNA testing, mandatory videotaping of all interrogations). But I'm not satisfied.
What's lacking is a background against which to read these numbers. How many peoples' convictions are confirmed by additional DNA or other testing? What is the percentage of questionable convictions that are overturned in this way. That's a lot of people and a lot of life wasted, but what's the true magnitude of the problem?
I agree that even one wrongful conviction is too many, and I support the project's goals of systemic reform (required DNA testing, mandatory videotaping of all interrogations). But I'm not satisfied.
What's lacking is a background against which to read these numbers. How many peoples' convictions are confirmed by additional DNA or other testing? What is the percentage of questionable convictions that are overturned in this way. That's a lot of people and a lot of life wasted, but what's the true magnitude of the problem?
