Read Innocence Project’s American Bar Association Article on the Cost of Wrongful Convictions
Innocence Project Executive Director Christina Swarns and Innocence Project Staff Attorney Hannah Fitzsimmons outline legislation governments can pass right now to reduce the risk of wrongful convictions.
08.22.24 By Innocence Project Staff
Screenshot from American Bar Association’s The Public Lawyer
Wrongful convictions carry grave consequences for the wrongly convicted and their families. They also have very real costs for the state.
In an opinion piece for the American Bar Association, Innocence Project Executive Director Christina Swarns and Innocence Project Staff Attorney Hannah Fitzsimmons break down these costs, from the financial to the erosion of public confidence in the criminal legal system.
The 3,528 people who have been exonerated since 1989 are a stark reminder that wrongful convictions are not a rare event, and show the urgent need for criminal legal reforms. In the piece, Ms. Swarns and Ms. Fitzsimmons outline legislation governments can pass right now – for instance, banning police deception in interrogations – to reduce the risk of wrongful convictions.
Read the full piece: How Much Do Wrongful Convictions Cost Government Entities?
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