Exoneration

"Exonerated" redirects here. For the legal film, seeThe Exonerated.

Exonerationoccurs when theconvictionfor acrimeis reversed, either through demonstration of innocence, a flaw in the conviction, or otherwise. Attempts to exonerate individuals are particularly controversial indeath penaltycases, especially where new evidence is put forth after the execution has taken place. The transitive verb, "to exonerate" can also mean to informally absolve one from blame.

The term "exoneration" also is used in criminal law to indicate a surety, i.e. bail bond has been satisfied, completed, and exonerated. The judge orders the bond exonerated; the clerk of court time stamps the original bail bond power and indicates exonerated as the judicial order.

Based on DNA evidence

DNA evidenceis a relatively new instrument of exoneration. The first convicted defendant from a United States prison to be released on account of DNA testing was David Vasquez, who had been convicted ofhomicide,in 1989. Subsequently, DNA evidence was used to exonerate a number of persons either ondeath rowor serving lengthy prison sentences. As of October 2003,the number of states authorizing individuals to request DNA testing on their behalf had increased from two to thirty. Access to DNA testing then and now can vary greatly by degree; post-conviction tests can be difficult to acquire. Organizations such as theInnocence ProjectandCenturionare particularly concerned with the exoneration of those who have been convicted based on weak or faulty evidence, regardless of DNA evidence. In October 2003, prosecutors of criminal cases must approve the defendant's request for DNA testing in certain cases.

Monday, April 23, 2007, Jerry Miller became the 200th person in the United States exonerated through the use of DNA evidence.There is a national campaign in support of the formation of state Innocence Commissions, statewide entities that identify causes of wrongful convictions and develop state reforms that can improve the criminal justice system.

As of 2020, 375 people in the U.S. havebeen exonerated based on DNA tests. In nearly half of these cases, faulty forensics contributed to the original conviction.

Per February 4, 2014NPRarticle,Laura Sullivancited Samuel Gross, aUniversity of Michiganlaw professor stating that exonerations were on the rise, and not just because of DNA evidence. Only one-fifth of the exonerations in 2013 relied on newly tested DNA, a little less than a third of exonerations occurred due to further investigating by law enforcement agencies.

According to a 2020 study, DNA exonerations in rape cases "strongly suggest that the wrongful-conviction rate is significantly higher among black individuals than white individuals."

Exonerees after exoneration

Wrongful conviction has many social, economic, and psychological consequences for people later exonerated, especially for death row exonerees.

After exoneration, some exonerees publicly have joined or formed organizations likeWitness to Innocenceand theInnocence Projectto tell their stories as a form of advocacy against the death penalty, prison conditions, or other criminal justice issues.

See also

• National Registry of Exonerations
• List of exonerated death row inmates
• List of wrongful convictions in the United States

External links

• National Registry of Exonerations,a registry of exonerations in the United States since 1989; a joint project of theUniversity of Michigan Law SchoolandNorthwestern University School of Law