LAW 6375 Wrongful Convictions: Reasons and Remedies

2 Hours

This course examines the reasons innocent people are convicted of crimes they did not commit and explore ways criminal justice practices can be reformed to prevent future miscarriages of justice. The class explores topics frequently associated with wrongful convictions such as faulty eyewitness identification, unreliable confessions, jailhouse informants, questionable science, police and prosecutor error, and ineffective assistance of counsel. We consider whether ethical lapses, poor tactical decisions, strategic blunders, or lack of adequate training and experience contributed to the erroneous conviction. In addition, we review proposed reforms designed to prevent such mistakes in the future.