Fresno Criminal Attorney Discusses the Costs of Wrongful Conviction

A recent article from the Washington Post discussed the costs to California taxpayers when people get wrongfully convicted of crimes. A research group examined known wrongful felony convictions in California over the course of 20 years and estimated that taxpayers lost roughly $282 million as a result.

However, beyond the cost in dollars to taxpayers, let's have a look at the cost to the people who get wrongfully convicted.

The 692 cases of wrongful conviction examined in the study involved people who were later acquitted during a retrial or had their cases dismissed. They spent a collective total of over 2,300 years in custody.

The personal costs of wrongful conviction include the following:

• Wrecked or strained relationships with family members, romantic partners, and friends.
• Damaged reputations.
• Problems with finding employment and otherwise getting your life back on track.
• Missed opportunities.
• Psychological trauma, both from the time in custody and from struggling with the knowledge that the courts (and many other people) don't believe in your innocence.

Wrongful convictions can come about from a variety of reasons, including dishonest or misleading witness testimony, improperly gathered evidence, improper behavior on the part of the prosecutor, and prejudices among jury members.

People also get wrongfully convicted when they don't have strong legal representation in court. A strong criminal attorney will question every bit of evidence that the prosecutor brings to the trial, casting doubt on it or showing that it's outright false or not permissible.

If you're charged with a crime, don't hesitate to contact a reputable criminal attorney. You deserve powerful representation that will significantly lower your chances of getting wrongfully convicted.