Misconduct by police or prosecutors (or both) was involved in 79% of homicide exonerations in 2018. 4 The National Registry of Exonerations, “ Exonerations in 2018” (Apr.
In 50 of these cases, the defendant was falsely accused of a crime that never happened. A record 111 exonerations in 2018 involved witnesses who lied on the stand or falsely accused the defendant. 3 Robert Dunham, “ The Most Common Causes of Wrongful Death Penalty Convictions: Official Misconduct and Perjury or False Accusation,” Death Penalty Information Center (May 31, 2017). In death penalty cases, perjury/false accusations and official misconduct are the leading causes of wrongful convictions. The same factors drive wrongful convictions in non-capital cases and death penalty cases, including:
