Question 1

According to M. Watt Espy Jr., approximately what percent of those persons executed in the United States since 1608 have been innocent of the crimes for which they were executed?

Accepted Answer

M. Watt Espy Jr. estimated that approximately 5% of those executed in the United States since 1608 were innocent of the crimes for which they were executed.

Question 2

According to Bedau and Radelet, how many people were wrongfully convicted of capital crimes in the United States in the 20th century?

Accepted Answer

D

Question 3

According to Bedau and Radelet, approximately what percent of the people wrongfully convicted of capital crimes in the United States in the 20th century were convicted prior to 1976 and the implementation of "super due process"?

Accepted Answer

Bedau and Radelet found that approximately 80% of the people wrongfully convicted of capital crimes in the United States in the 20th century were convicted prior to 1976, before the implementation of "super due process" which introduced more rigorous legal protections for defendants in capital cases.

Question 4

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, how many people have been released from death rows because of evidence of their innocence between 1973 and December 2015?

Accepted Answer

Between 1973 and December 2015, the Death Penalty Information Center reported that 156 people were released from death rows due to evidence of their innocence.

Question 5

According to Bedau and Radelet, how many people were wrongfully executed for capital crimes in the United States in the 20th century?

Accepted Answer

Bedau and Radelet identified 23 cases in which they believed the person executed was wrongfully convicted in the 20th century in the United States.

Question 6

Who, among the following, was not released from death row because of evidence of his innocence?

Accepted Answer

There is no record of a death row inmate named William Brennan being released because of evidence of his innocence.

Question 7

According to Bedau and Radelet, who was an allegedly innocent person executed under post-Furman statutes?

Accepted Answer

James Adams was listed by Bedau and Radelet as an allegedly innocent person who was executed under post-Furman statutes.

Question 8

In which of the following cases did the Supreme Court create the harmless error rule?

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court created the harmless error rule in Chapman v. California in 1967. The rule states that if an error occurred during a trial but it did not affect the outcome, the conviction can still stand.

Question 9

In the case of a claim of innocence based on new evidence, Virginia has the shortest deadline in the United States. How long does Virginia give a defendant to make a claim of innocence following conviction?

Accepted Answer

Virginia gives a defendant 21 days to make a claim of innocence following conviction based on new evidence. This is the shortest deadline in the United States.

Question 10

According to the Liebman study, approximately what percent of the fully reviewed state death sentences imposed between 1973 and 1995 were reversed at one of the appeal stages because of serious or prejudicial errors?

Accepted Answer

The Liebman study found that approximately 67% of the fully reviewed state death sentences imposed between 1973 and 1995 were reversed at one of the appeal stages due to serious or prejudicial errors.

Question 11

According to the Liebman study, in approximately what percent of the reversals by state post-conviction courts did the defendant deserve a sentence other than death when the errors were cured on retrial?

Accepted Answer

According to the Liebman study, in approximately 80% of the reversals by state post-conviction courts, the defendant deserved a sentence other than death when the errors were cured on retrial.

Question 12

According to the Liebman study, in what percent of the reversals by state post-conviction courts was the defendant found to be innocent of the capital crime?

Accepted Answer

In the Liebman study, 7% of the reversals by state post-conviction courts resulted in the defendant being found innocent of the capital crime.

Question 13

According to the Liebman study, which of the following was not a reason for reversals by state post-conviction courts?

Accepted Answer

The Liebman study found that all of the listed reasons (ineffective assistance of counsel, prosecutor misconduct, unconstitutional jury instructions, and judge/jury bias) were factors in post-conviction court reversals. Therefore, the correct answer is E, "all of the above were reasons for reversals."

Question 14

According to Gross, during which of the following stages do most errors in capital cases occur?

Accepted Answer

During the police investigation stage, most errors in capital cases occur because the police may not have the proper training or experience to handle such cases. They may also be biased against the defendant, which can lead to them making mistakes in their investigation.

Question 15

What is the term used to describe the practice of crime lab technicians fabricating results to support police suspicions without ever testing the evidence?

Accepted Answer

Dry labbing is the term used to describe the practice of crime lab technicians fabricating results to support police suspicions without ever testing the evidence. Vacant verification, evidence extraction, and dry humping are not related terms.

Question 16

In what percent of the cases studied in a 2004 Chicago Tribune investigation of 200 DNA and death row exonerations nationwide between 1984 and 2004 was original forensic testing or testimony flawed?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In what percent of the cases studied...

Question 17

In a recent study of 88 cases under post-Furman statutes (through December 31, 2000) in which people were completely exonerated of crimes for which they were sentenced to die, which of the following types of prosecutor misconduct occurred most frequently?

Accepted Answer

According to the study, withholding exculpatory evidence occurred most frequently among the cases studied. This means that prosecutors failed to provide evidence that could have helped to prove the innocence of the defendants, which is a form of misconduct.

Question 18

Which of the following is not a source of wrongful convictions in capital cases?

Accepted Answer

All of the options listed (shoddy investigation by the police, eyewitness misidentification, false confessions, and guilty pleas by innocent defendants) are recognized sources of wrongful convictions in capital cases. These factors contribute to the conviction of individuals who are later found to be innocent.

Question 19

What was the foremost cause of wrongful convictions in capital cases found by Bedau and Radelet and the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University Law School?

Accepted Answer

Bedau and Radelet, along with the Center on Wrongful Convictions, identified perjury by prosecution witnesses as the foremost cause of wrongful convictions in capital cases.

Question 20

For which of the following types of cases in a recent study of death-eligible cases in Maryland were prosecutors not significantly more likely to seek the death penalty?

Accepted Answer

In the study, prosecutors were not significantly more likely to seek the death penalty in cases where the victim was an acquaintance of the offender, indicating that the relationship between the victim and the offender did not significantly influence the decision to pursue the death penalty in these instances.

Quiz 9: Miscarriages of Justice and the Death Penalty