An especially troubling factor in wrongful convictions is the use of jailhouse informants. In order to bolster the case against an accused, investigators sometimes rely on the testimony of cellmates who claim that the accused has made incriminating statements directly to the cellmate. However, the testimony of these informants is inherently unreliable because they often have an incentive to lie. In exchange for their testimony against an accused, the informant often receives leniency (lighter sentences or lesser charges) in their own case.

              Given this strong motivation to submit testimony to the prosecution, it is not surprising that cellmates often fabricate information for their own personal gain. Combined with the tunnel-vision affecting police and prosecutors, the truth of the informant’s statements may not be properly scrutinized.

[prepared by Moheb Tewfik, class of 2008]

Further Reading:

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