Seeking a Rate of Wrongful Conviction: Lessons for Researchers from the Virginia Post Conviction DNA Testing Effort

• In Event: Determining the Incidence of Wrongful Conviction: Challenges, Potential Solutions, and New Directions for Research

Abstract

This study estimates a rate of wrongful conviction based on the results of the extensive effort in Virginia to conduct post-conviction DNA testing on a 700+ case cohort from the 1970s and 1980s. After completing data collection and analysis of pre-conviction forensic reports, post-conviction forensic reports and all documents available across 56 Virginia circuit courts, Urban Institute researchers estimate a rate of wrongful conviction of 11.6 percent. This discussion will focus on the challenges of case-level data collection, the advantages present in the Virginia case cohort, and the limitations on interpretation.

Author

• Kelly Walsh, Urban Institute