National Registry of Exonerations

The National Registry of Exonerations is a project of the University of Michigan Law School, Michigan State University College of Law and the University of California Irvine Newkirk Center for Science and Society. The Registry was co-founded in 2012 with the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law to provide detailed information about known exonerations in the United States since 1989. As of February 6, 2020, the Registry has 2,551 known exonerations in the United States since 1989.[1] The National Registry does not include more than 1,800 defendants cleared in 15 large-scale police scandals that came to light between 1989 and March 7, 2017, in which officers systematically framed innocent defendants.[2][3]

The co-founders of the Registry are Rob Warden, then the executive director of Northwestern's Center on Wrongful Convictions, and Michigan Law professor Samuel R. Gross, who with Michael Shaffer wrote the report Exonerations in the United States, 1989-2012.[4] According to Gross, "these cases merely point to a much larger number of tragedies that we do not know about."[5] The registry and report includes cases of defendants convicted of crimes that never occurred, cases involving false confessions, and cases involving innocent defendants who pleaded guilty. The new report reveals many more exonerations than previously found.[6]

The National Registry of Exonerations is the largest and most detailed compilation of exoneration data ever made.[6][7]

  1. ^ The National Registry of Exonerations
  2. ^ Gross, Samuel R.; Possley, Maurice; Stephens, Klara (March 7, 2017), "Race and wrongful convictions in the United States" (PDF), report, National Registry of Exonerations, Newkirk Center for Science and Society, U. of CA Irvine, retrieved 2017-03-17
  3. ^ See also Michael McLaughlin, National Registry of Exonerations: More Than 2,000 People Freed After Wrongful Convictions (May 22, 2012) and Huffington Post; Michael Doyle, New national registry lists exonerations from wrongful convictions (May 21, 2012). McClatchy Newspapers.
  4. ^ Samuel R. Gross & Michael Shaffer, Exonerations in the United States, 1989-2012: Report by the National Registry of Exonerations m June 2012.
  5. ^ Andrew Cohen, Wrongful Convictions: A New Exoneration Registry Tests Stubborn Judges (May 21, 2012). The Atlantic.
  6. ^ a b Hilary Hurd Anyaso, Registry Tallies Exonerations Since 1989 (May 21, 2012). Northwestern University.
  7. ^ David G. Savage, Registry tallies over 2,000 wrongful convictions since 1989 (May 20, 2012). Los Angeles Times.