Editing Innocence Project (section)

==Overturned convictions==

{{as of|2022|January}}, 375 people previously convicted of serious crimes in the United States had been exonerated by DNA testing since 1989, 21 of whom had been sentenced to death.<ref name="DNA Exonerations">{{cite web |title=DNA Exonerations in the United States |url=https://www.innocenceproject.org/dna-exonerations-in-the-united-states/ |website=Innocence Project |access-date=17 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bruenig |first=Elizabeth |date=2021-06-09 |title=Not That Innocent |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/06/innocence-project-death-row/619132/ |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref> Almost all (99%) of the wrongful convictions involved male defendants<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/Female_DNA_Exonerees_Represent_Only_a_Few_of_the_Women_Who_Have_Been_Wrongfully_Convicted_Nationwide.php|title=Female DNA Exonerees Represent Only a Few of the Women Who Have Been Wrongfully Convicted Nationwide|publisher=The Innocence Project|access-date=January 3, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405100201/http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/Female_DNA_Exonerees_Represent_Only_a_Few_of_the_Women_Who_Have_Been_Wrongfully_Convicted_Nationwide.php|archive-date=2012-04-05|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Innocence Project – Dipping Into Light |url=https://dippingintolight.com/scheck-barry-1949/ |access-date=2023-06-06 |language=en-US}}</ref> with minority groups making up approximately 70% (61% African American and 8% Latino).<ref name="DNA Exonerations" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kanu |first=Hassan |date=2022-09-27 |title=Rising number of false convictions shows stark racial patterns |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/rising-number-false-convictions-shows-stark-racial-patterns-2022-09-27/ |access-date=2023-06-06}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Systemic Injustice in the Criminal Justice System {{!}} Comparative Studies 1100 Autumn 2021 (Calderon Ortiz) |url=https://u.osu.edu/cs1100au21calderonortiz/2021/11/06/systemic-injustice-in-the-criminal-justice-system/ |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=u.osu.edu}}</ref> The National Registry of Exonerations lists 2,939 convicted defendants who were exonerated through DNA and non-DNA evidence from January, 1989 through January, 2022 with more than 25,600 years imprisoned.<ref>{{cite web |title=The National Registry of Exonerations |publisher=Michigan Law|url=http://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/about.aspx}}</ref>

According to a study published in 2014, at least 4.1% of persons overall sentenced to death from 1973 to 2004 are probably innocent.<ref>{{cite web |title=More than 4% of death row inmates wrongly convicted, study says|work=Los Angeles Times|date=April 29, 2014|url=http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-study-claims-41-of-death-row-convictions-are-in-error-20140428-story.html}}</ref> The following are some examples of exonerations they helped bring about:

* [[Steven Avery]] was exonerated in 2003 after serving 18 years in prison for sexual assault.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.innocenceproject.org/cases-false-imprisonment/steven-avery | title= Steven Avery|publisher= The Innocence Project }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-27 |title='Making A Murderer's' Steven Avery Demands Review Of Latest Decision In His Case |url=https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/making-a-murderers-steven-avery-seeks-wisconsin-supreme-court-review |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=Oxygen Official Site |language=en-US}}</ref> Following his release, he was convicted of murder.<ref name=sentinel>{{cite news |title=Avery found guilty of killing woman |first=Tom |last=Kertscher |newspaper=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]] |url=http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/29388834.html |date=March 19, 2007 |access-date=January 15, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023221942/http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/29388834.html  |archive-date=October 23, 2012 |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Steven Avery - National Registry of Exonerations |url=https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3003 |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=www.law.umich.edu}}</ref>
* [[Cornelius Dupree]] was convicted of sexual assault and robbery in 1980 and was exonerated in 2011 by the Innocence Project through DNA evidence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3193|title=Cornelius Dupree, Jr.|website=[[National Registry of Exonerations]]|date=2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Cornelius Dupree |url=https://www.chron.com/exonerees/stories/cornelius-dupree/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=Chron |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Douglas Echols|Douglas Echols and Samuel Scott]] were convicted in 1987 of sexual assault and robbery, and exonerated in 2002 by DNA evidence by the Innocence Project.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3623|title=Samuel Scott|website=[[National Registry of Exonerations]]|date=2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Douglas Echols - Innocents Database of Exonerations |url=http://forejustice.org/db/Echols--Douglas-.html |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=forejustice.org}}</ref>
* [[Clarence Elkins]] was convicted in 1999 for rape and murder, and exonerated by DNA evidence in 2005; defended by Ohio Innocence Project.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3202|title=Clarence Elkins|website=[[National Registry of Exonerations]]|date=2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Wrongfully convicted man challenges Ohio's giving IRS his prison medical records |url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/politics/2015/06/02/wrongfully-convicted-man-challenges-ohio/23718232007/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=The Columbus Dispatch |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Ryan Ferguson (wrongful conviction)|Ryan Ferguson]] was convicted in 2005 for a 2001 murder, and exonerated in 2013 because the prosecution withheld exculpatory evidence and the witnesses who testified against him recanted their testimony; defended by Missouri Innocence Project.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=4304|title=Ryan Ferguson|website=[[National Registry of Exonerations]]|date=November 14, 2013}}</ref>
* [[Conviction and exoneration of Glenn Ford|Glenn Ford]] was exonerated in 2014 in the murder of Isadore Newman. Ford, an African American, had been convicted by an [[all-white jury]] without any physical evidence linking him to the crime and with testimony withheld. He served 30 years on death row in [[Angola Prison]] before his release.<ref name=Nightline>{{cite news|last1=Harris|first1=Dan|author1-link=Dan Harris (journalist)|last2=Yu|first2=Katie|last3=Effron|first3=Lauren|title=Exonerated Death Row Inmate Meets the Former Prosecutor Who Put Him There|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/exonerated-death-row-inmate-meets-prosecutor-put/story?id=30399619|access-date=April 18, 2015|work=Nightline|agency=ABC|date=April 18, 2015}}</ref>
* [[Darryl Hunt]] was exonerated in 2004 after serving {{frac|19|1|2}} years in prison of a life sentence for the rape and murder of a newspaper copy editor, Deborah Sykes.<ref name="truthinjustice">{{cite web|url=http://truthinjustice.org/hunt-exonerated.htm |title=Hunt exonerated |author=Zerwick, Phoebe |date=February 6, 2004 |publisher=Winston Salem Journal |access-date=June 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429011312/http://www.truthinjustice.org/hunt-exonerated.htm |archive-date=April 29, 2013 }}</ref><ref>Zerwick, Phoebe (2003) [http://www.journalnow.com/app/specialreports/hunt/about.html "Murder, Race, Justice: The State vs. Darryl Hunt"] ''Journal Now''</ref>
* [[Michael Morton (Criminal Justice)|Michael Morton]] was convicted of murder in 1987, spent over 24 years in prison, and exonerated through DNA and withholding of evidence in 2011 with help from the Innocence Project. In 2013 his prosecutor was convicted of withholding evidence, agreed to [[disbarment]], and spent 4 days in jail.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3834|title=Michael Morton|website=[[National Registry of Exonerations]]|date=2012}}</ref>
* [[Anthony Porter]] was convicted of murder in 1983, and exonerated in 1999 by the [[Medill Innocence Project]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3544|title=Anthony Porter|website=[[National Registry of Exonerations]]|date=2012}}</ref>
* [[James Calvin Tillman]] was exonerated in 2007 after an investigation begun by the Innocence Project, and after serving {{frac|16|1|2}} years in prison for a rape he did not commit. His sentence was 45 years.<ref>[https://innocenceproject.org/cases/james-tillman/ James Tillman – 17 Years in Prison: Innocent] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100627033312/http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/James_Tillman.php |date=2010-06-27 }} Innocence Project</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Borsuk |first=Ken |date=2018-10-10 |title=Innocence Project brings message of healing to Greenwich |url=https://www.greenwichtime.com/local/article/Innocence-Project-brings-message-of-healing-to-13297447.php |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=GreenwichTime |language=en-US |archive-date=November 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110070216/https://www.greenwichtime.com/local/article/Innocence-Project-brings-message-of-healing-to-13297447.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Archie Williams (singer)|Archie Williams]] was convicted in 1983 of sexual assault and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, but was exonerated in 2019 due to DNA evidence after over three decades in prison.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2021/apr/1/after-36-years-louisiana-prison-rape-he-didnt-commit-archie-williams-wins-freedom-and-tv-show-spotlight/|title = After 36 Years in a Louisiana Prison for a Rape He Didn't Commit, Archie Williams Wins Freedom — and a TV Show Spotlight &#124; Prison Legal News}}</ref>
* [[Ken Wyniemko]] was convicted in 1994 of sexual assault, and exonerated in 2003 through DNA evidence by the Innocence Project.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3769|title=Kenneth Wyniemko|website=[[National Registry of Exonerations]]|date=2012}}</ref>
* Michael Sutton and Kenny Phillips went out for Phillips' birthday in May 2006, they were wrongfully arrested and incarcerated for 15 years. In 2023, their attempted murder convictions were overturned and the [[University of Akron]] granted them full scholarships to earn their college degrees.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Negussie |first=Tesfaye |date=March 10, 2023 |title=Two wrongfully convicted men granted scholarships to University of Akron |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wrongfully-convicted-men-granted-scholarships-university-akron/story?id=97772042 |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=ABC News |language=en}}</ref>
* Leonard Mack was exonerated of rape and gun charges after 47 years due to DNA evidence.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Leonard Mack - National Registry of Exonerations |url=https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=6651 |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=www.law.umich.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Propper |first=David |date=2023-09-06 |title=Leonard Mack exonerated of 1975 rape of teen girl in Westchester |url=https://nypost.com/2023/09/05/leonard-mack-exonerated-of-1975-rape-of-teen-girl-in-westchester/ |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=nypost.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Mack's wrongful conviction was the longest to be vacated due to advanced DNA testing.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hit in DNA Database Proves Leonard Mack's Innocence After 47 Years of Wrongful Conviction |url=https://innocenceproject.org/hit-in-dna-database-proves-leonard-macks-innocence-after-47-years-of-wrongful-conviction/ |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=Innocence Project}}</ref>
* Perry Lott served 30 years in prison for rape and burglary charges before being cleared after DNA testing.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-11 |title=Oklahoma man who spent 30 years in prison for rape is exonerated after DNA testing: "I have never lost hope" - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/perry-lott-30-years-prison-oklahoma-rape-exonerated-after-dna-testing/ |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=After 35 Years, Perry Lott Receives Delayed Justice - Oklahoma Watch |language=en-US |work=Oklahoma Watch |url=https://oklahomawatch.org/newsletter/after-35-years-perry-lott-receives-delayed-justice/ |access-date=2023-11-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Greco |first=Jonathan |date=2023-10-10 |title=Oklahoma man exonerated after being wrongfully convicted in 1988 of rape, burglary |url=https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-ada-perry-lott-exonerated-rape-burglary-wrongful-conviction/45496829 |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=KOCO |language=en}}</ref>