Wrongful convictions
Convicted, imprisoned, and later cleared
29 people whose convictions were overturned, who together spent 499.25 years in prison. Each record shows what went wrong and how the conviction was undone, from court records and exoneration registries.
United States
Sandra Hemme 43 years in prisonConvicted of Capital murder of a library worker in St. Joseph in 1980, Missouri, Buchanan County. Exonerated 3 December 2024.Marvin Haynes 19 years in prisonConvicted of Murder in a 2004 robbery at a Minneapolis flower shop, committed when he was 16, Minnesota, Hennepin County. Exonerated 11 December 2023.Kevin Strickland 43 years in prisonConvicted of One count of capital murder and two counts of second degree murder in a 1978 triple shooting in Kansas City, Missouri, Jackson County. Exonerated 23 November 2021.Anthony Ray Hinton 30 years in prisonConvicted of Two counts of capital murder in the 1985 shootings of two fast food restaurant managers, Alabama, Jefferson County. Exonerated 3 April 2015.Ricky Jackson 39 years in prisonConvicted of Murder of a money order collector at a Cleveland grocery store, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Exonerated 21 November 2014.Glenn Ford 30 years in prisonConvicted of First degree murder of a Shreveport jeweller during a 1983 robbery, Louisiana, Caddo Parish. Exonerated 10 March 2014.The Exonerated Five (Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise)Convicted of Offences arising from the 1989 rape and assault of a jogger in Central Park, tried as teenagers, New York, New York County (Manhattan). Exonerated 2002.Ronald Cotton 10.5 years in prisonConvicted of Two counts of rape and two counts of burglary in Burlington, North Carolina, Alamance County. Exonerated 30 June 1995.Kirk Bloodsworth 8 years in prisonConvicted of First degree murder, first degree rape and first degree sexual offense of a nine year old girl, Maryland, Baltimore County. Exonerated 28 June 1993.Walter McMillian 6 years in prisonConvicted of Capital murder of an 18 year old woman in Monroeville in 1986, Alabama, Monroe County. Exonerated 2 March 1993.
United Kingdom
Peter Sullivan 38 years in prisonConvicted of Murder of a woman in Bebington, Merseyside, in August 1986, England and Wales, Merseyside. Exonerated 13 May 2025.Post Office Horizon subpostmasters (group entry)Convicted of Offences such as theft, fraud and false accounting, prosecuted mainly by the Post Office on the basis of data from the Horizon IT system, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Exonerated 2024.Andrew Malkinson 17 years in prisonConvicted of Rape of a woman in Salford in 2003, England and Wales, Greater Manchester. Exonerated 26 July 2023.Sam Hallam 7 years in prisonConvicted of Murder during a street fight, conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm and violent disorder, England and Wales, London (Central Criminal Court). Exonerated 17 May 2012.Sally Clark 3 years in prisonConvicted of Murder of her two infant sons, England and Wales. Exonerated 29 January 2003.Stefan Kiszko 16 years in prisonConvicted of Murder and sexual assault of an 11 year old girl in 1975, England and Wales, West Yorkshire. Exonerated 18 February 1992.The Birmingham Six (Hugh Callaghan, Patrick Hill, Gerard Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker) 16 years in prisonConvicted of Murder of 21 people in the 21 November 1974 Birmingham pub bombings, England and Wales, Lancaster Crown Court. Exonerated 14 March 1991.The Guildford Four (Gerry Conlon, Paul Hill, Patrick Armstrong and Carole Richardson)Convicted of Murder arising from the October 1974 bombing of pubs in Guildford, England and Wales, Surrey. Exonerated 19 October 1989.
Canada
Steven Truscott 10 years in prisonConvicted of Murder of a 12 year old classmate in 1959, when he was 14, Ontario. Exonerated 28 August 2007.David Milgaard 23 years in prisonConvicted of Murder of a nursing aide in Saskatoon in 1969, charged when he was 16, Saskatchewan. Exonerated 1997.Guy Paul Morin 1.5 years in prisonConvicted of First degree murder of a nine year old neighbour who disappeared in October 1984, Ontario. Exonerated 23 January 1995.
Japan
Iwao Hakamada 47 years in prisonConvicted of Murder of four people in Shizuoka Prefecture in 1966, Shizuoka Prefecture. Exonerated 26 September 2024.Toshikazu Sugaya 17 years in prisonConvicted of Kidnapping and murder of a four year old girl in Ashikaga in May 1990, Tochigi Prefecture. Exonerated 26 March 2010.
Australia
Kathleen Folbigg 20 years in prisonConvicted of Three counts of murder and one count of manslaughter in the deaths of her four infant children, New South Wales. Exonerated 14 December 2023.Lindy Chamberlain (now Chamberlain-Creighton) 3 years in prisonConvicted of Murder of her infant daughter near Uluru (Ayers Rock) in 1980, Northern Territory. Exonerated 15 September 1988.
New Zealand
Alan Hall 19 years in prisonConvicted of Murder of a man in Papakura in 1985, Auckland, Papakura. Exonerated June 2022.Teina Pora 20 years in prisonConvicted of Murder, sexual violation by rape and aggravated burglary arising from the death of a woman in Papatoetoe in 1992, Auckland, Papatoetoe. Exonerated March 2015.