Sex, Race and Wrongful Conviction

Matthew B. Johnson, Associate Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, discusses his current research on wrongful conviction. His findings show that among many forms of wrongful conviction– “stranger rape” cases as opposed to “acquaintance” or “date rape” cases– present an increased risk of wrongful conviction. Johnson cites the 1989 “Central Park Jogger” case, in which five African-American boys in New York were wrongfully convicted of sexual assault, as being a well-known case in a list of many more that did not receive media attention.

Matthew B. Johnson, Associate Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, discusses his current research on wrongful conviction. His findings show that among many forms of wrongful conviction– “stranger rape” cases as opposed to “acquaintance” or “date rape” cases– present an increased risk of wrongful conviction. Johnson cites the 1989 “Central Park Jogger” case, in which five African-American boys in New York were wrongfully convicted of sexual assault, as being a well-known case in a list of many more that did not receive media attention. Sarah Burns’ documentary, The Central Park Five, winner of this year’s Media for a Just Society Award in the category of film, focuses on the “Central Park Jogger” case in the light of broader questions of wrongful conviction in the criminal justice system.

To read Sarah Burns’ guest blog, “My History With the Central Park Five”, click here.

Click here for the original article.