The American Court System And Criminal Justice System

The System Each year, approximately ten-thousand people are convicted of crimes that they did not commit (Spring). Ten-thousand people that will never see their kids grow up, ten-thousand people that will miss out on life, ten-thousand people whose lives will never be the same. Men and women are on death row for decades, only to be exonerated after their execution. Where is the justice in that? Prisons are also overcrowded and according to political scientist David Hudson, America holds five percent of the world s population, but twenty-five percent of the world s prison population (Hudson). This is partially derived from the overwhelming amount of cases that the justice system takes on, but also because of the harsh sentences. About†¦show more content†¦are innocent† (â€Å"How many innocent people are there in prison†). According to the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, there have been 156 people who were sentenced to death that have been exonerated of the ir crimes between 1973 and October of 2015. That means one of every ten individuals on death row are innocent (â€Å"Innocence†). These people sit on death row for decades for crimes they never committed, the system is allowing innocent people to not only be convicted but almost executed. The most common reasons for these innocent convictions are false accusations, mistaken identity and official misconduct. Much like in Arthur Miller’s â€Å"The Crucible† people are intimidated to falsely confess to crimes they did not commit to lessen their punishment. The Salem witch trials portrayed in this play are an early example of innocent convictions. Another example, is The Central Park Jogger Case in 1989, where five minority teenage boys were pushed into confessing to the rape and beating of Trisha Meili. Thirteen years after the horrendous crime was committed the real rapist confessed to it. Both â€Å"The Crucible† and The Central Park Jogger Case are prime examples of false evidence, false confession, mistaken identity and official misconduct. If there are innocent people who were on death row but were later acquitted, then it is possible that there have been innocent people who were executed. There needs to be special precautions taken in order to sentence