Reply #3: I think just a small percentage of wrongfully convicted people get exonerated [View All]

Considering two factors;

Those convicted of more serious crimes generally are allowed more vigorous defense so it seems likely that people there might be a higher percentage of false convictions for lessor crimes and in many, if not most, cases there is no DNA containing evidence to be tested, that being the primary vehicle of exoneration. Add to those the fact that the innocence project, which has freed over 200 wrongfully convicted people so far, is limited in scope.

"Exonerated" and "After Innocence" are two documentaries about this which are very illuminating.

Also consider that every time some distorted jurisdiction railroads someone, ruining their lives and impacting the lives of those close to them, they are also leaving actual perpetrators to continue perpetrating crimes.

Personally I attribute this to the bellicose bullies that dominate our country and who are generally in the Republican Party and are motivated entirely by prejudice, greed and superficial appearance. Why, if people from Saudi Arabia who lived in Afghanistan attacked us they would likely just go out and get someone they had some history with and who had something they wanted like, oh, say Iraq.