Pleading guilty when innocent: How the Australian criminal justice system contributes to, recognises, and responds to guilty plea wrongful convictions

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Embargoed until: 2025-05-10
Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Dioso-Villa, Rachel
Other Supervisors
Porter, Louise E
Year published
2023-05-10
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Most of our knowledge on wrongful convictions is based upon the more serious cases that follow a contested trial. This does not reflect contemporary criminal justice systems where most criminal cases are resolved by a guilty plea. Despite increasing
recognition that both guilty and innocent persons face significant pressures to plead guilty, the occurrence of wrongful convictions stemming from a guilty plea is a surprisingly under-researched area, particularly within Australia. This thesis addresses this knowledge gap and examines how the Australian criminal justice system contributes to, recognises, and responds to guilty ...
View more >Most of our knowledge on wrongful convictions is based upon the more serious cases that follow a contested trial. This does not reflect contemporary criminal justice systems where most criminal cases are resolved by a guilty plea. Despite increasing recognition that both guilty and innocent persons face significant pressures to plead guilty, the occurrence of wrongful convictions stemming from a guilty plea is a surprisingly under-researched area, particularly within Australia. This thesis addresses this knowledge gap and examines how the Australian criminal justice system contributes to, recognises, and responds to guilty plea wrongful convictions. Driven by a systems and organisational perspective, the thesis explores the structural and organisational features of the Australian criminal justice system that can systematically contribute to guilty plea wrongful convictions. It further considers how errors and false guilty pleas proceed through the criminal justice process without being detected, prevented, or remedied.
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View more >Most of our knowledge on wrongful convictions is based upon the more serious cases that follow a contested trial. This does not reflect contemporary criminal justice systems where most criminal cases are resolved by a guilty plea. Despite increasing recognition that both guilty and innocent persons face significant pressures to plead guilty, the occurrence of wrongful convictions stemming from a guilty plea is a surprisingly under-researched area, particularly within Australia. This thesis addresses this knowledge gap and examines how the Australian criminal justice system contributes to, recognises, and responds to guilty plea wrongful convictions. Driven by a systems and organisational perspective, the thesis explores the structural and organisational features of the Australian criminal justice system that can systematically contribute to guilty plea wrongful convictions. It further considers how errors and false guilty pleas proceed through the criminal justice process without being detected, prevented, or remedied.
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Thesis Type
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Degree Program
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School
School of Crim & Crim Justice
Copyright Statement
The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
Subject
wrongful convictions
miscarriage of justice
false guilty pleas