The wrongful conviction of Ronnie Long might appear shocking: No physical evidence, false testimony, a conflicting description of the suspect – then 44 years in prison for Long.
But experts and advocates aren’t surprised: They say U.S. prisons are filled with potentially thousands of innocent people. While Long’s case is particularly egregious, experts told USA TODAY some of the factors that led to his imprisonment are still causing wrongful convictions today.
Relatedly from the Intercept, “Crime Scene DNA didn’t match Marcellus Williams. Missouri may fast track his execution anyway.” (archived
not just arrested more often. once they’re arrested, a black person is more likely than a white person to be criminally charged. once charged, a black person is more likely to be convicted. once convicted, a black person is more likely to get a custodial sentence instead of some sort of rehab, and if they both get custodial sentences a black person’s is likely to be longer.
But yeah, the rate of self-reported drug use shows no statistically significant correlation to race.