Presumed Innocent? The Social Science of Wrongful Conviction

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According tothe National Registry of Exonerations, a joint project of Michigan Law andNorthwestern Law, over 1,600 individuals in the United States have beenexonerated after being convicted for crimes they did not commit. These are theknown cases of wrongful conviction—the actual number is much higher. Some ofthese individuals have served years, even decades, in prison for thesecrimes. Often, real offendershave escaped justice as a result of the wrong person being accused and convicted.

As noted, wewill approach this topic from a social scientific perspective. Social scienceis a broad field that seeks to understand social interactions betweenindividuals, groups, and institutions. The field includes academic disciplinessuch as sociology, criminology, psychology, economics, anthropology, politicalscience, and other related disciplines. 

In thiscourse we will explore wrongful convictions answering several key questions:

• What do we mean by “wrongfully convicted,” and how common are wrongful convictions?
• Who are wrongfully convicted?
• Where in the criminal justice system do things go wrong to lead to wrongful convictions?
• Why do wrongful convictions occur?
• How can social science contribute to understanding, and preventing wrongful convictions?

For-credit option:

This course will also be offered for Penn State credit.This course option will require a heavier workload and offer instructor feedback and assessment on completed work.

Each week wewill cover two lessons in the course. Each lesson, while related, will be considered independently.

Week One:
Introduction to the Criminal Justice System
Social Science and Public Policy: Due Process and Crime Control

Week Two:
Wrongful Conviction Defined
Wrongful Conviction Demographics and Statistics

Week Three:
Wrongful Conviction and the Criminal Justice Process—Where do things go wrong?
Causes of Wrongful Conviction: Eyewitness Misidentification—An Introduction

Week Four:
Causes of Wrongful Conviction: Eyewitness Misidentification—System Variables
Causes of Wrongful Conviction: Eyewitness Misidentification—Estimator Variables

Week Five:
Causes of Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions
Causes of Wrongful Conviction: Jailhouse Snitches and Informants

Week Six:
Causes of Wrongful Conviction: Government Misconduct and Poor Defense
Myths and Misconceptions of Decision-Makers: Judges, Juries, and the Public

Week Seven:
Using Social Science to Prevent Wrongful Convictions
What can you do?