Wrongful Conviction and a State Crime Framework

• In Event: Posters II

Abstract

Several years ago two prominent scholars, Saundra Westervelt and Kimberly Cook, began to formulate a possible theoretical explanation in which wrongful conviction of the innocent could be viewed and studied as a form of a state crime. As the authors point out, scholars in the field have long debated, due to variation in its definition, what a state crime entails. This topic is still in it’s infancy. Each year, with the help of innocence projects, networks, journalists, and volunteers, more cases of wrongful conviction come to light. This presentation will focus on student perceptions of state crimes and its possible association and analogization to wrongful convictions.

Authors

• Kaitlyn Clarke, Saint Anselm College

• Kay Green, Saint Anselm College