Causes of Wrongful Conviction

Stafford Henderson Byers serves as a pastor with the Northeastern Conference of the Seventh Day of Adventist in Queens, New York. A New York State Bar member, he practices law and helps people living in poverty get equal representation in their legal battles. In particular, Stafford Henderson Byers represents the indigent in cases involving wrongful conviction and incarceration.

Wrongful conviction happens when an innocent person is convicted by the court and ends up being incarcerated. Several factors cause a wrongful conviction. Here are the five most common causes of wrongful conviction:

1. Mistaken Identity

Based on records of exonerations, mistaken identity by a witness is the topmost cause of wrongful conviction. DNA tests have overturned Seventy-two percent of wrongful convictions. While eyewitness testimony is strong evidence in court, social science studies spanning 30 years have concluded that eyewitness identification is unreliable.

2. False Statements

In 30 percent of exonerations, innocent suspects have either provided incriminating statements, made an outright false confession, or pled guilty for crimes they did not commit. Experts say external factors may influence false confessions.

3. Failed Forensic Procedures

Today, many forensic techniques have never gone through rigorous testing and have often brought innocent people to jail. Examples of such forensic techniques include shoe mark comparisons, bite mark comparisons and hair microscopy.

4. Paid-off Informants

Some people have been wrongfully convicted because the informants who testified against them have received incentives for doing so. This is particularly true when the incentives were not disclosed to the members of the jury.

5. Bad lawyers

Some wrongful convictions were caused by bad lawyering. These innocent people were represented by lawyers who were overworked to make thorough investigations, find the right witnesses, and prepare for trial.

What to Know about Hospital Chaplains

Clergyman, attorney, and former law professor Stafford Henderson Byers has practiced law for over two decades. He has also served as pastor at the Northeastern Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists in Queens, New York, since 1982. In addition to these roles, Stafford Henderson Byers previously offered guidance and support as a chaplain at New York's Coler Hospital.

While most people are well aware of the inpatient and outpatient medical services that hospitals provide, it's important for patients and families to understand that there are many other services and resources available to them in a hospital setting. One of these resources is the hospital chaplain.

In addition to their work providing spiritual guidance to religious patients and their families, hospital chaplains provide many other services to individuals, regardless of their religious faith or spiritual beliefs. The main goal of a chaplain is to connect with people in their time of need. Chaplains often provide crisis intervention, bereavement counseling, and general counseling prior to and following surgical procedures. It's also important to note that chaplains are available not only to patients and families, but also hospital staff members.

Hospital chaplains are typically required to hold a college degree in divinity, theology, religion, or a related field. Many hospitals also require that their chaplains hold certification from a group such as the Association of Professional Chaplains, the National Association of Catholic Chaplains, or the National Association of Jewish Chaplains.

 

Poverty in the US Increases Chances of Incarceration

A pastor for the Northeastern Conference of SDA, Stafford Henderson Byers cares for his congregation by praying, teaching, and preaching to them. In addition to this, he maintains a private legal practice in New York. The former director of human resources for the Village of Freeport and labor and employment lawyer for Byers & Associates, Stafford Henderson Byers maintains an interest in the wrongful incarceration of the poor. In the United States, poverty plays a significant role in the country’s high rate of imprisonment.

As of June 2020, the United States had 2.2 million incarcerated people. Close to half of these individuals were people who were accused of crimes and being held pre-trial since they could not afford bail, people who were arrested for an inability to pay fines or debts, and people who were convicted of non-violent drug offenses. The US has the highest rate of incarceration of any country, despite the fact that crime rates in the country have been decreasing since the 1990s.

Minorities and people living in poverty have been disproportionately affected by policy changes that require longer sentences for drug crimes and other minor offenses. Around 25 percent of all incarcerated people in the United States cannot afford to pay bail. Most of these individuals are being held for low-level drug or property crimes, so the requirement that they must pay bail to be released affects people of moderate means.

Further, there are many criminal violations tied to homelessness, such bans on sitting in public or sleeping in a vehicle. People who are homeless are 11 times more likely to be incarcerated than people who are not homeless. To make matters worse, once incarcerated, people are 10 times more likely to become homeless following their release. This perpetuates a cycle where people are legally punished for living in poverty, and their chances of escaping that situation decreases each time they are arrested.