NCJ Number
113639
Date Published
1988
Length
22 pages
Annotation
After locating and documenting 20th-century cases involving 350 defendants who were either erroneously convicted of a capital crime or who were convicted of crimes that never occurred, this paper concludes that such erroneous decisions are not outweighed by any proven benefits of capital punishment.
Abstract
In 309 of the cases, the state implicitly or explicitly admitted error. In 6 cases, the researchers' belief in a defendant's innocence was based on the considered judgement of a state official in a position to know. In 15 cases, the researchers relied on the preponderance of informed opinion. Significant empirical evidence of benefits that can outweigh these costs of the deaths of innocent persons are not found, and the fallibility of the justice system is suggested. 38 references.