Student Attitudes toward Wrongful Conviction

Abstract

Although there is considerable research addressing the factors that underlie wrongful conviction, relatively little research investigates attitudes toward wrongful conviction. To contribute to this understudied area, we surveyed first- and third-year Canadian undergraduates in criminal justice and non-criminal-justice majors to determine their attitudes toward differing facets of wrongful conviction. In particular, attitudes toward the frequency of wrongful conviction, the Blackstone ratio, the need to educate criminal justice personnel about factors that contribute to wrongful conviction, and the question of whether wrongful conviction causes individuals to lose faith in the criminal justice system were assessed. In general, participants – especially senior criminal justice students – reported attitudes that were sensitive to issues related to wrongful conviction. The implications of these findings for criminal justice personnel and the literature on wrongful conviction are discussed.