a total of 48 exonerations added 31 new exonerations & 17 newly discovered
Pre-1989 Database Live and Two Reports
Released this Morning
Exonerations in 2017 Download a copy of the Registry's Annual Report on Exonerations in 2017.
Exonerations Before 1989 Download a copy of the Registry's Special Report on Exonerations Before 1989.
Exonerations Before 1989
As of today, you can explore our database of exonerations that occurred before 1989. At the Registry, our mission has always been to gather as complete a database as we can of all exonerations that occurred after 1989. While we have known about many exonerations that occurred before 1989, we have not included them on our website - until now. We have gathered information about 369 exonerations from before 1989, which you can explore in our report.
A Record Year for Official Misconduct in Exonerations
2017 was the first year since 2014 that did not result in a record number of overall exonerations, but there were a record number of exonerations where official misconduct played a role in conviction, as well as record numbers of cases with false confessions and mistaken witness identifications. Innocence Organizations and Conviction Integrity Units were responsible for the majority of exonerations. You can read the full report here. Below are some shareable infographics - you can save the image and then share on facebook, twitter, or other social media.
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