WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS
Study of evidentiary causes of wrongful convictions, including eyewitness misidentifications, false confessions, the use of jailhouse informants, and flaws in forensic science. Procedural and institutional causes of wrongful convictions, and within this context, question whether constitutional rights adequately protect against illegitimate outcomes. Explore potential ways to broaden conceptions of wrongful convictions, looking at mass surveillance, mass prosecution, mass conviction, sentencing severity, and the system's racially disproportionate impact at all intercept points.
Prerequisites & course information
Requisites: LEGAL ST/SOC 131 or 217 Course Designation: Core GenEd - Social & Behavioral Science Breadth - Social Science Level - Intermediate L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Fall 2021 Learning Outcomes: 1. Demonstrate an understanding of what constitutes and what causes wrongful convictions. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Identify methods of investigating crime, and understand how the use of these methods may lead to inaccurate results. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Demonstrate an understanding of procedural/institutional conditions that limit a defendant’s access to information. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Summarize the constitutional rights of criminal defendants, and identify institutional forces that limit the ability of criminal defendants to avail themselves of these protections. Audience: Undergraduate 5. Display an understanding of structural issues that inform a broader understanding of wrongful convictions. Audience: Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Demonstrate an understanding of what constitutes and what causes wrongful convictions. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Identify methods of investigating crime, and understand how the use of these methods may lead to inaccurate results. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Demonstrate an understanding of procedural/institutional conditions that limit a defendant’s access to information. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Summarize the constitutional rights of criminal defendants, and identify institutional forces that limit the ability of criminal defendants to avail themselves of these protections. Audience: Undergraduate 5. Display an understanding of structural issues that inform a broader understanding of wrongful convictions. Audience: Undergraduate
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027