Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

wrongful convictions

wrongful convictions

  • Finally Compensating New York's Wrongfully Convicted

    Cleaning up at Rikers (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    The United States is the world’s largest jailor. As a result of our criminal justice system, we regularly put innocent people behind bars.Conservative estimates say 20,000 people are currently in jail or prison throughout the nation for crimes they did not commit.

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  • It's Time to Stop Tolerating Wrongful Convictions and How They Undermine Our Legal System

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    State Senator Myrie, a co-author, with other electeds and advocates


    2020 was a year of tragedy and despair, hope and resilience. In 2021 we must take long overdue steps to address the myriad injustices laid bare by the pandemic, and others plainly evident well before COVID-19.

    We must shore up our medical system and our schools. We must rebuild our social safety net. And we must once and for all, decidedly and without hesitation, address the long-standing harms perpetrated by the criminal legal system against

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  • Getting It Right On Wrongful Convictions

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    In support of Governor Cuomo’s Wrongful Conviction bill, Yusef Salaam and Fernando Bermudez have been sharing their powerful stories of being wrongfully convicted. Their horrific experiences unfortunately demonstrate the need for criminal justice reform in New York State. As two of the wrongfully charged and convicted “Central Park Five,” they know all too well the wrongful conviction rate in New York State is shameful, and action must be taken to implement meaningful change.

    The failure to record interrogations and the lack of

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  • City Makes Slow Progress in Effort to Prevent Wrongful Convictions

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    City Council Member Rory Lancman (photo: Micah Institute)


    In 2016, 159 people were exonerated in the United States after being wrongfully convicted for a crime they did not commit, according to the National Registry of Exonerations. Fourteen of those wrongful convictions took place in New York, the

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