Web Desk
April 7, 2025 – A new report shows that 147 people were exonerated in the United States in 2024, after serving time for crimes they did not commit.
On average, each individual spent 13.5 years behind bars, adding up to nearly 2,000 years lost to wrongful imprisonment.
The 2024 Annual Report of The National Registry of Exonerations was released April 1.
Edited by Barbara O’Brien, professor of law at Michigan State University, the report sheds light on continuing racial disparities and the cost of justice errors.
According to the report, 78% of exonerees were people of color, and 60% were Black. The states responsible may owe more than $4.6 billion in potential damages.
Key causes of wrongful convictions included:
Perjury or false accusations (72%)
Official misconduct (71%)
Inadequate legal defense (33%)
False or misleading forensic evidence (29%)
Mistaken witness identification (26%)
False confessions (15%)
Texas had the highest number of exonerations at 26, with 17 linked to misconduct by a former Houston police narcotics officer.
Illinois followed with 20 exonerations. Pennsylvania and New York each recorded 15.
“These are remarkable accounts of persistence in the face of injustice,” the report says. O’Brien added, “This work is a vital record of the grave errors made by systems meant to protect.”
Advocates like Rebecca Brown, co-founder of Justice Strikeforce, say the registry’s data is critical. “It’s a dream for any advocate,” she said, noting how the registry helped defend discovery laws in New York.
The report was released ahead of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, which starts the second week of April.
