Patterns of Wrongful Conviction: The Influence of Race and Crime Type on Female Exonerations
Location
Room 232, Schewel Hall
Access Type
Campus Access Only
Presentation Type
Oral presentation
Entry Number
110
Start Date
4-16-2026 2:30 PM
End Date
4-16-2026 2:45 PM
School
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department
Criminology
Abstract
Research on wrongful conviction and exoneration has examined the demographics of exonerees and the factors contributing to false convictions. However, few studies have focused specifically on female exonerees or the intersection of race and crime type in shaping their experiences. Using data from 277 female exonerees drawn from the National Registry of Exonerations, this study analyzes racial disparities in time served before exoneration and differences in wrongful incarceration duration across crime types. A t-test reveals that Black female exonerees serve a statistically significant average of more than 7 years longer than White female exonerees prior to exoneration. A one-way Welch's ANOVA further demonstrates that crime type accounts for approximately 36% of the variance in time served, with murder exonerees averaging over 10 years of wrongful incarceration compared to less than 1 year for drug possession or sale exonerees. Post-hoc comparisons confirm that murder and child sex abuse cases carry substantially longer periods of wrongful incarceration than drug or theft cases. These findings are consistent with broader structural inequities in the criminal justice system, including the compounding effects of racial bias and gendered stereotyping on wrongful conviction outcomes for women.
Primary Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Elizabeth Sharrett Dr. Nichole Sanders Dr. Kenneth Wagner
Primary Faculty Mentor(s) Department
English History Criminology
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Patterns of Wrongful Conviction: The Influence of Race and Crime Type on Female Exonerations
Room 232, Schewel Hall
Research on wrongful conviction and exoneration has examined the demographics of exonerees and the factors contributing to false convictions. However, few studies have focused specifically on female exonerees or the intersection of race and crime type in shaping their experiences. Using data from 277 female exonerees drawn from the National Registry of Exonerations, this study analyzes racial disparities in time served before exoneration and differences in wrongful incarceration duration across crime types. A t-test reveals that Black female exonerees serve a statistically significant average of more than 7 years longer than White female exonerees prior to exoneration. A one-way Welch's ANOVA further demonstrates that crime type accounts for approximately 36% of the variance in time served, with murder exonerees averaging over 10 years of wrongful incarceration compared to less than 1 year for drug possession or sale exonerees. Post-hoc comparisons confirm that murder and child sex abuse cases carry substantially longer periods of wrongful incarceration than drug or theft cases. These findings are consistent with broader structural inequities in the criminal justice system, including the compounding effects of racial bias and gendered stereotyping on wrongful conviction outcomes for women.