Figure 2. The Relationship Between Forensic Science and Other Contributing Factors in Erroneous Convictions

Figure 2 is a bar graph showing the relationship when forensic science is cited as a contributing factor along with other contributing factors — inadequate legal defense, perjury or false accusation, false confession, official misconduct, and mistaken witness identification. The most significant number of wrongful convictions in which forensic science is considered a contributing factor is attributable to eyewitness misidentification and official misconduct.

The data points shown on the bar graph are as follows:

Data are based on 133 cases of wrongful conviction listed by the National Registry of Exonerations.