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