Topic: Wrongful Convictions

What causes wrongful convictions? Lies, mistaken eyewitnesses top the list.

Researchers examined 873 wrongful convictions and found that perjury or false accusations were responsible for more than half. New report offers insight into what leads to miscarriages of justice.

Colorado DNA program's first success: convicted murderer exonerated

Robert Dewey, who was convicted in 1996 for the rape and murder of Jacie Taylor, is likely to walk free on Monday after DNA testing exonerated him.

Family asks UN to help free former Peace Corps volunteer jailed in Nicaragua

Of the 725 US citizens in jail abroad, more than half are behind bars in Latin America. Jason Puracal was imprisoned in November 2010, and his family says the US hasn't done enough in his case.

Four ways to relieve overcrowded prisons

America’s  addiction to incarceration as a curb on crime must end. The evidence is staggering. Prison overcrowding is ubiquitous and shows few signs of abating: Between 1970 and 2005, the nation’s inmate population grew by 700 percent.

In California, 54 prisoners may share a single toilet and 200 prisoners may live in a single gymnasium. As a result, the Supreme Court ruled in May 2011 that California prisons were in violation of the Eighth Amendment and its prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Here, attorney Arjun Sethi offers four solutions to improve the overcrowded US prison system.

Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony

The lawyer for a convicted New Hampshire man had asked the Supreme Court to establish an expanded rule to help prevent unreliable eyewitness testimony at criminal trials.

Illinois abolishes death penalty, will other Midwest states follow?

Gov. Pat Quinn signed a bill to make Illinois the 16th state to abolish the death penalty. Questions about the fairness of the death penalty led to a state moratorium in 2000.

The Confession

John Grisham does not disappoint in his latest thriller about an innocent man hours away from execution on death row.

West Memphis Three: Three men convicted, DNA evidence reopens case

For the first time in Arkansas, convicted murderers prevail in seeking review of DNA evidence. Such reviews have exonerated 261 others, but will it help West Memphis Three?

Amanda Knox indicted for slandering Italian police in 2007

Amanda Knox was ordered to stand trial Monday by an Italian judge for slandering police there over her accusation that she was beaten during a 2007 police interrogation over her roommate's murder.

Supreme Court: Can death row inmate force state to do more DNA testing?

The Supreme Court agreed to take the case of a man on Texas' death row. He wants the state to do DNA tests on other, untested evidence he says would prove his innocence. A victory would make it easier for convicted criminals to continue to fight convictions.

DNA evidence: New York law would be first to add all criminals to DNA database

DNA evidence: New York Governor David Paterson has proposed roughly doubling New York's DNA database to include samples from even low-level offenders. But could that be an invasion of privacy?

Ronnie Lee Gardner: Is Utah firing squad a more humane execution?

Ronnie Lee Gardner, who is scheduled to be executed by firing squad in Utah just past midnight local time Friday, raises questions about the relative humaneness of methods of execution.

Libel suit against John Grisham is dismissed

A court finds that, in writing about a wrongful conviction in "The Innocent Man," author John Grisham did not libel public officials.

The quest for innocence

A Christian Science perspective.

Why is use of the death penalty going down?

Fewer people received a death sentence over the past 12 months than in any year since 1976, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. One reason: Some state prosecutors are growing more hesitant to seek a death sentence in cases that might later be upended because of DNA evidence.

He helps innocent prisoners win their freedom

Through his Centurion Ministries, Jim McCloskey works to overturn unjust sentences.

DNA evidence clear Florida inmate after 26 years

Anthony Caravella was sentenced as a teenager to life imprisonment on charges of rape and murder. Increasingly, DNA tests are uncovering evidence of shoddy police work and questionable prosecution tactics.

John Grisham libel suit results