(Under Construction)

Innocent People Are In Prison -

Some Are Dying on Death Row

Wrongful Conviction Highlights

    People throughout the world understand now that innocent people are in prison.  

    We do not know the exact number of innocents in prison, but recent estimates range from 3% to 15% of the total prison population in the USA.  Mr. George Ryan, former governor of the State of Illinois, U.S.A., estimated in January 2003, that possibly 60% of the people in Illinois prisons are innocent.

    Truth and Justice Foundation located information about innocent people who have been freed from death row. 'Death Penalty Information Center' web site states that 103 innocent inmates have been freed from death row in the USA during the period 1971 through 2003.  The names and other information about the inmates are presented below. 

    Please note that the below information discusses innocent people who have been freed from death row.  In addition to innocent people in death row, we also must consider innocent people who are serving short and long-term sentences in prison.  T&J hopes to assist in identifying and administering forensic tests to assist authorities in determining their innocence. 

    The following data originates wholly from the Death Penalty Information Center web site:

"Death Penalty Information Center

No.* Name State Year of Conviction Year of Exoneration Years between Conviction and Exoneration Race of Defendant DNA**

No.

 Name  State Cnvctd. Exnratd      
               
               
               
               

Under Construction                       

Yrs. Race

1. David Keaton      FL    1971     1973    2     B
2. Samuel A. Poole  NC   1973    1974    1     B
3. Wilbert Lee          FL   1963     1975     12   B
4. Freddie Pitts         FL   1963     1975     12   B
5. James Creamer    GA   1973     1975     2    W
6. Thomas Gladish   NM  1974     1976     2    W
7. Richard Greer      NM  1974     1976     2    W
8. Ronald Keine       NM  1974     1976     2    W
9. Clarence Smith     NM  1974     1976     2    W
10. Delbert Tibbs     FL    1974     1977     3     B
11. Earl Charles       GA   1975     1978     3     B
12. Jonathan Treadway AZ 1975   1978     3    W
13. Gary Beeman     OH    1976    1979      3    W
14. Jerry Banks        GA    1975    1980      5    B
15. Larry Hicks        IN     1978     1980      2    B
16. Charles Ray Giddens OK 19781981      3    B
17. Michael Linder  SC     1979     1981      2   W
18. Johnny Ross       LA    1975      1981     6    B
19. Annibal Jaramillo FL  1981      1982     1    L
20. Lawyer Johnson MA   1971      1982     11  B
21. Anthony Brown   FL    1983      1986     3    B
22. Neil Ferber         PA    1982      1986     4   W
23. Clifford Henry Bowen OK 19811986     5   W
24. Joseph Green Brown FL 1974    1987    13  B
25. Perry Cobb          IL     1979       1987    8    B
26. Darby (Williams) Tillis IL 19791987    8    B
27. Henry Drake        GA   1977       1987    10  W
28. John Henry Knapp AZ  1974      1987    13   W
29. Vernon McManus TX   1977      1987    10   W
30. Anthony Ray Peek FL    1978     1987    9     B
31. Juan Ramos           FL    1983     1987     4    L
32. Robert Wallace    GA    1980     1987    7     B
33. Richard Neal Jones OK 1983     1987    4     W
34. Jerry Bigelow       CA    1980     1988    8    W
35. Willie Brown        FL     1983     1988   5     B
36. Larry Troy             FL     1983     1988   5     B
37. William Jent         FL       1980    1988   8     W
38. Earnest Miller       FL      1980    1988   8     W
39. Randall Dale Adams TX 1977    1989  12     W
40. Jesse Keith Brown SC     1983    1989   6     W
41. Robert Cox           FL       1988    1989   1     W
42. Timothy Hennis    NC      1986    1989   3     W
43. James Richardson FL       1968    1989 21     B
44. Clarence Brandley TX     1981    1990   9     B
45. Patrick Croy          CA      1979    1990  11    N
46. John C. Skelton      TX      1983   1990   7     W
47. Dale Johnston        OH      1984   1990   6     W
48. Jimmy Lee Mathers AZ     1987   1990   3     W
49. Gary Nelson           GA     1980   1991  11    B
50. Bradley P. Scott       FL    1988    1991  3     W
51. Charles Smith          IN      1983   1991  8      B
52. Jay C. Smith            PA     1986   1992   6     W
53. Kirk Bloodsworth   MD    1984   1993  9     W  Yes
54. Federico M. Macias TX   1984    1993  9     L
55. Walter McMillian    AL    1988   1993   5     B
56. Gregory R. Wilhoit  OK    1987   1993  6     W
57. James Robison         AZ    1977    1993  16  W
58. Muneer Deeb           TX    1985    1993  8     O
59. Andrew Golden        FL    1991    1994  3     W
60. Joseph Burrows        IL     1989   1994   5     W
61. Adolph Munson        OK    1985  1995   10    B
62. Robert Charles Cruz AZ    1981   1995   14    L
63. Rolando Cruz            IL     1985   1995   10    L   Yes
64. Alejandro Hernandez IL    1985   1995   10    L   Yes
65. Sabrina Butler           MS   1990   1995   5     B
66. Verneal Jimerson       IL     1985   1996   11   B   Yes
67. Dennis Williams        IL     1979   1996   17   B   Yes
68. Roberto Miranda      NV     1982   1996  14    L
69. Gary Gauger              IL      1993   1996   3    W
70. Troy Lee Jones         CA     1982   1996  14   B
71. Carl Lawson              IL      1990   1996  6     B
72. Ricardo Aldape Guerra TX 1982  1997  15   L
73. Benjamin Harris       WA    1985   1997  12   B
74. Robert Hayes             FL     1991   1997  6     B
75. Randall Padgett          AL    1992   1997  5    W
76. Robert Lee Miller, Jr. OK  1988    998   10   B Yes
77. Curtis Kyles                LA   1984   1998  14   B
78. Shareef Cousin           LA    1996   1999  3     B
79. Anthony Porter            IL     1983   1999  16   B
80. Steven Smith               IL     1985   1999  14   B
81. Ronald Williamson    OK   1988    1999  11   W Yes
82. Ronald Jones               IL    1989    1999  10   B  Yes
83. Clarence Dexter, Jr.   MO   1991    1999  8    W
84. Warren Douglas Manning SC 1989 1999 10   B
85. Alfred Rivera             NC    1997    1999   2   L
86. Steve Manning            IL      1993    2000   7   W
87. Eric Clemmons          MO    1987    2000  13   B
88. Joseph Nahume Green FL    1993    2000  7     B
89. Earl Washington         VA     1984   2000  16   B Yes
90. William Nieves          PA     1994    2000   6    L
91. Frank Lee Smith -died prior to exoneration FL 1986 2000 14 B Yes
92. Michael Graham         LA     1987   2000   13   W
93. Albert Burrell             LA     1987   2000   13   W 
94. Peter Limone              MA    1968   2001    33  W
95. Gary Drinkard            AL     1995   2001    6    W
96. Joaquin Jose Martinez FL    1997   2001     4    L
97. Jeremy Sheets              NE    1997  2001     4   W
98. Charles Fain                 ID    1983   2001    18  W Yes
99. Juan Roberto Melendez FL   1984   2002   18   L
100. Ray Krone                  AZ    1992   2002   10  W Yes
101. Thomas Kimbell, Jr.  PA    1998   2002    4    W
102. Larry Osborne            KY   1999   2002    3    W
103. Rudolph Holton           FL   1987   2003   16   B

Average number of years between being sentenced to death and exoneration: 8 years

Number of cases wherein DNA played a substantial factor in establishing innocence: 12

*List is ordered by year of release, thus numbers may vary from those in the DPIC reports.
**DNA played a substantial factor in establishing the innocence of the inmate

DPIC used a number of resources when first developing the above list. The earlier cases are based heavily on the work of Hugo Adam Bedau and Michael L. Radelet. (See also, Radelet, Michael et al.., "Prisoners released from death rows since 1970 because of doubts about their guilt"; 13 Thomas M. Cooley Law Review 907 (1996)). See also, Hugo Bedau and Michael Radelet, "Miscarriages of justice in potentially capital cases"; 40 Stanford Law Review 21 (1987) and Michael L. Radelet and Hugo Adam Bedau, "In Spite of Innocence," Northeastern University Press (1992).

For specific information about each case, see Cases of Innocence
Return to Innocence and the Death Penalty"

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