The Wrongfully Convicted: 10 Cases That Changed Justice
From DNA exonerations to death row releases, these landmark cases expose systemic failures in the criminal justice system
The Central Park Five: When Confessions Aren't Evidence
Five young men of color from underprivileged backgrounds were arrested for the 1989 attack and sexual assault of a white woman jogging in Central Park, New York City. Despite lacking concrete evidence, police extracted confessions under pressure and threats. The men served between 5 and 15 years before Matias Reyes confessed to the crime in 2002, with DNA evidence confirming his guilt and exonerating all five.
Henry McCollum & Leon Brown: 31 Years for Someone Else's Crime
In 1983, two Black half-brothers with intellectual disabilities were arrested for the rape and of an 11-year-old girl in Red Springs, North Carolina. Police interrogated both men without legal representation. Despite maintaining their innocence, they received death sentences. McCollum and Brown spent approximately 31 years in prison before in 2015 proved the actual murderer was a convicted killer, leading to their exoneration.
