An Etiology of Wrongful Convictions: Error, Safety, and Forward-Looking Accountability in Criminal Justice

The book “Wrongful Conviction and Criminal Justice Reform” is an important addition to the literature and teaching on innocence reform. The authors delve into wrongful conviction studies and expand on research by offering potential reforms that would alleviate the problem of wrongful convictions in the criminal justice system. This chapter looks at the phenomenon of why people don’t obey the law if they are certain they will be punished for their violations; the reality that people know they can get away with breaking the law; and if people obey the law when they trust it or when they are convinced that if they do obey the law they will not be punished. (Publisher abstract provided)