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The Truth Behind Wrongful Conviction

The Truth Behind Wrongful Conviction

Sadly, law enforcement is not often trained to find the truth, but rather an admittance. This leads to thousands of wrongful convictions. Here are the statistics:

  • About 20,000 people in prison are innocent; this is between 2% and 10% of the entire prison population.
  • Since 1989, 2,262 people in America have been exonerated from their wrongful convictions.
  • In total, innocent people have served over 23,950 years in prison.
  • Four of every 100 people sentenced to death are likely innocent, and only two become exonerated.
  • Eyewitness misidentification accounts for 69% of wrongful convictions.
  • False confessions account for about 29% of wrongful convictions.
  • False accusations account are involved in 70% of wrongful convictions.
  • The person who is wrongfully convicted serves 14 years in prison.
  • In 75% of wrongful conviction cases, the actual criminal is found later.
  • Withholding of exonerating evidence was present in 75% of wrongful convictions.
  • Misdemeanors have the most wrongful convictions.
  • About 60% of exonerees are African American.
  • Black men spend an average of three years more waiting on exoneration than white men.
  • Up to 28% of life imprisonment sentences are given to black men and only 17% to white men.
  • Since 1989, at least 18 people with solid evidence of innocence have been given the death penalty in America.

If you are under investigation for a crime you did not commit, you need to hire a wrongful conviction attorney as soon as possible. The sooner you act, the sooner we can work on your case. Contact Mueller Law Firm in Novi for a free consultation by calling 248-489-WOLF (9653).

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