The United States legal system is not fail proof. Many cases of wrongful convictions have brought about exonerations of individuals. As of April 27, 2007, there have been 200 exonerations in the United States and many individuals are still sitting in prisons serving time for crimes they did not commit. This unacceptably high number serves as a precedent for important and much needed reform. While there are many causes of wrongful convictions, there are also many ways to remedy these causes in order to prevent the conviction of innocent people.

The Causes

Eyewitness Misidentification
Official Misconduct
False Confessions
Bad Defense Lawyering
Forensic Science Misconduct
Junk Science
Snitches

Criminal Justice Reform Commissions

Many states are implementing Criminal Justice Reform Commissions (Innocence Commissions) in light of a large number of exonerations. The CJRCs serve a number of purposes:

• To review a state’s criminal justice system, particularly taking note of places where it has failed in the past and led to wrongful convictions or executions
• To examine ways of providing safeguards and making improvements in the way the criminal justice system works
• To make recommendations and proposals to further ensure the application and administration of a just, fair, and accurate criminal justice system