The UTC Graduate School is pleased to announce that Eliza Jackson will present Master's research titled, The Influence of Personal Factors on Wrongful Convictions on 01/30/2024 at 1:00 pm in 504 McCallie Building, Room . Everyone is invited to attend. 

Criminal Justice

Chair: Dr. Sherah Basham

Co-Chair: 

Abstract:

Previous work has identified several factors that influence the likelihood of wrongful conviction. However, fewer efforts have been made to examine how these factors influence the amount of time between wrongful conviction and exoneration. The period between wrongful conviction and exoneration is crucial to the expansion of innocence research and the contextualization of wrongful convictions within the criminal justice system. This study employs negative binomial regression to analyze data collected by the National Registry of Exonerations (NRE). Using a sample of 2,349 cases in which the most severe conviction was murder, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, or drug possession, I examine the influence of an exoneree’s age, race, and biological sex on the number of years before exoneration while controlling for case characteristics including worst crime, number of crimes, and the number of causes for wrongful conviction. Findings highlight the consequences associated with wrongful conviction, demonstrating the effects of age, biological sex, race, number of causes, and severity of conviction on the amount of time lost due to wrongful convictions. Implications related to policies ensuring fair compensation, accountability, and practical improvements are discussed.