Wrongful Convictions Research Assignment When a person is found guilty of a crime they did not commit, this is known as a wrongful conviction.

Wrongful Convictions Research Assignment

When a person is found guilty of a crime they did not commit, this is known as a wrongful conviction.

Your research should be organized under the following headings:

·       Basic background of the accused individual

·       What was the incident/situation that they were ultimately charged with committing?  (Provide details of the alleged offence)

·       What were they charged with?

·       Why were they suspected (and ultimately charged) with the crime? 

·       Give a brief overview of the court case

·       What evidence was brought against the accused in court to gain a conviction?  (ie: witness testimony, physical evidence, police errors or bias, etc.)

·       What issues did you see with the evidence used against the accused and/or the way the court case was handled?

·       What were they convicted of?

·       What was their sentence?

·       Why do YOU think they were ultimately wrongfully convicted?  (Is there something you can point to as having caused their wrongful conviction?)

·       What evidence/reasons were used to overturn their conviction?

·       Explain how it was used to exonerate them.

·       How much time did they wrongfully serve?

·       Where are they now?

·       Did they receive compensation?

·       Effects of the conviction and imprisonment on the accused and their loved ones

·       Current status of the case (complete exoneration for the accused, guilty person charged and convicted, etc.)

·       Your personal opinion on the case

Success Criteria

·       Can I select and use the most appropriate reading comprehension strategies to understand online texts and accurately present my findings?

·       Can I use critical literacy skills to evaluate the effectiveness of texts and identify and analyse the perspectives and/or biases evident in online texts?

·       Can I locate and select information to effectively support ideas for writing, using a variety of online sources?

·       Can I write for a distinct purpose and audience by using the provided subheadings?

Wrongful Convictions in Canada

Robert Baltovich                                           William Mulllins-Johnson

Richard Brant                                                Gregory Parsons

Anthony Hanemaayer                                    Romeo Phillion

Ivan Henry                                                     Sherry Sherrett-Robinson

Clayton Johnson                                           Thomas Sophonow

Dinesh Kumar                                                Steven Truscott

Tammy Marquardt                                       Kyle Unger

Donald Marshall Jr.                                      Erin Walsh

David Milgaard                                             Jack White

Guy Paul Morin                                            

Suggested Resources:

Innocence Canada - https://www.innocencecanada.com/

Library of Parliament - https://lop.parl.ca/sites/PublicWebsite/default/en_CA/ResearchPublications/202077E

CBC Archives - https://www.cbc.ca/archives