Gradesheet Wrongful! 3503, fall 2025 outline
index proposal: A-
16 B+ 15.5 B 15 B- 14 C 13 C-
12 D 10
engagement exercises:
#1. 3.19. Is the Marshall case fault-based, or
cognitive-based?
#2. 9.24. Read the description of Milgaard's case at
www.innocencecanada.com, briefly describe whether it is fault-based,
or cognitive-based, or both.
#3. 9.26. Justice Kaufman said 'tunnel vision' was a key issue in
the Morin case. Watch the research video and describe the places it
is at work, Beyond the Shadow of a Doubt, 45 mins, https://youtu.be/qqEcCpQgtrg
One page single-spaced, can be done with a friend, emailed or handed
in Monday along with Wednesday's assignment.
#4 10.08. Why is the victim's perspective important?
#5. 10.17. Is it morally justifiable to go outside the law to uphold
it? (wrt Unger case & informants)
#6. 10.24. What is your verdict in the Gruenke case?
#7. 10.27. Watch 'Death in the Family', and describe the 'social
harm' in the case, for handin Wed.
William Mullins-Johnson, A Death
in the Family, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la9XPFrC6bo
#8. 11.05. How do you vote in the case of Everett Farmer?
#9. 11.07. What is the most important factor in the Truscott case?
research proposals and projects:
morin3 -- 3 sspaced pages plus references;
there is a lot of detail here about the case, and some issues are
very important, such as tunnel vision, and reconstructed memory ...
if these are developed more it will further strengthen the analysis;
the case is covered well, and sources are good; perhaps pictures
would be nice?; good beginning. B 14.5
donaldmarshall -- one spaced page with
2 references; looking at the media, and the role of cognitive biases
in the case; more detail would add to the analysis. B- 14 update: do
with someone else?
moreguypaul -- 2 dspaced pages with
subtitles, pictures, and references; nice summary of issues and
problems in the case; especially important are the methods for
reform mentioned by the Commission; overall, excellent work. A17
tunnelvision3 -- 4 dspacedpages
including titlepage, one reference; the application of the cognitive
bias to individual cases is good; overall good, could use subtitles
to separate cases, and more references. B+15.5
tamarabroomfield -- 2 people, 3
sspaced pages including subtitles, picture, titlepage and refspage;
amazing information on Motherisk and the faulty testing method; a
2009 case for the forensics file. A17
guypaulmorin -- 2 people, 4 dspaced pages
including titlepage, subtitles, and extensive refspage; good summary
of the case, and good on the 'lessons learned'; stylistically, would
benefit from some pictures, and substantially more on the Kaufman
Inquiry would extend the analysis; overall, good work, could be
developed more, especially for 2 people. B+15.5
cp5 -- 3 sspaced pages including titlepage and
refspage; an excellent statement of the method, comparing legacy
media to social media, for shifting narratives, with a sensitivity
to the theoretical consequences; overall, excellent work, could ave
terms explained more perhaps. A17
tunnel vision -- 3 people, 4sspaced
pages including subititles, titlepage and refspage; a nice
contemporary case, and there is a lot of detail about tunnel vision,
etc.; more on the actual case (then) and what it looks like (now)
would add more detail to the project; overall, good work, good
topic, could be developed more for 3 people. B15
philleon-- 2 people, 3 sspaced pages with
subtitles and references; a good description of the case, more on
the sub-topic of false confessions would substantially add to teh
analysis, especially since it is a pivotal issue in this case;
overall, good topic, good work, could expand the analytic issue.
B-14
brendawaudby -- 2 sspaced pages pus
references and subtitles; the role of the forensic analyst is
very important, and he is responsible for a string of wrongfuls in
the 1990s; good summary of the case, and expanding the cognitive
bias in dr. smith would add more detail to the analysis; overall,
good beginning.
briananderson2 -- 2 sspaced pages with
subtitles, picture, and refspage; good summary of the case, and some
ideas on how it happened, and optimistic ideas on how change can
occur as a result of insights in the case; overall, good work. A-16
briananderson -- 5 sspaced pages with
subtitles, 2 refs (none academic), and a list of key points; if you
have the 'media investigations' it would be nice to include them;
also, more could be said about what improved post-conviction review
mechanisms are; overall, good summary/commentary on the case.
A-16
sherrysherett -- 2 sspaced pages with
subtitles, and a small refspage; this is an important case, because
maybe the prosecution was all too willing to accept his
testimony...; and the personal bias smith had was directed toward
single moms in general...; nice conclusion on training; overall,
good case, good summary. A- 16
morin2 -- 2 sspaced pages with subtitles and a
separate refspage (institutional sources); the case summary is good,
although mostly from the fifth estate video; using some academic
sources to explain the cognitive biases would add more detail to the
analysis; overall, good case, and summary, could work up the psych
angle more. B15
informants -- 1 sspaced page and a mixed
refspage; this succinctly outlines the promise and problem of
jailhouse informants -- mentioning more cases where they are used
and found problematic would widen the scope of the essay; overall,
important topic, could use more examples, eg. sophonow. B15
tunnelvision -- 3 pages plus mixed
references; working with the theme of tunnel vision, it can be shown
to undermine an investigation in really simple ways; working with
subsections and subtitles would help develop themes and isolate
cases as examples; overall, good theme, explained well. B+15.5
briananderson3 -- 2 people; 3 pages
including subtitles, references; a good summary of the case, and
what went wrong; the addition of the role of the media is good,
especially the change in narratives, including some example would
make the analysis stronger; overall, excellent work. A17
morin4 -- 4 pages including titlepage and
refspage; there is a good summary of the case, some theoretical
explanation for what happened, and some sugestions for reform
mentioned coming out of the commission of inquiry -- some quotations
from the inquiry would add to the analysis; overall, excellent work.
A17
witnesses -- 1 page sspaced, pus refspage; a
good summary of the issues, especially including a reference to the
work of Loftus; isolating cases in subsections where concepts apply
would make the analysis stronger; overall, excellent beginning. A-16
baltovich -- 4 sspaced pages including
titlepage, subtitles, and refspage; excellent overview of the case,
and explanation (cognitive-based) for what happened; developing more
of the media coverage in quotations, etc. would add more to the
analysis; overall, excellent beginning. A17
morin5 -- 4 pages including titlepage, and
mixed refspage, subtitles; good summary of the case; developing the
media angle more with exhibits, quotations, etc., would make the
analysis stronger; overall, excellent beginning. B+15.5
simonmarshall -- 2 pages including
subtitles, list of points, extensive references; the case is
discussed well, with many points showing how the wrongful
'happened'; the role of the media is important in this case, and
could be developed more; overall, excellent overview. A17
morecp5 -- 3 sspaced pages including
subtitles, references; good summary of the case, good detail, and
mention of the coerced confessions; if one of the issues in the case
was the 'public hysteria', some examples of that media coverage
would strengthen the analysis; overall, good case, could highlight
media more. A-16
guypaul -- 2 sspaced pages including subtitles
and footnotes; excellent summary of the case, and very well written;
(what does the coercion of time and space mean?); there are many
mistakes in this case, and the role of the media in discussing those
problems (after the fact), could be highlighted more; excellent
overview. A+18
mediaguilt -- 5 pages including subtitles,
extensive refspage; the role of the media is highlighted, and
examined using theories such as 'agenda-setting', and discusses how
media 'narratives' can solidify the perception of guilt; overall,
very detailed. A+18
amandaknox -- 5 pages including subtitles,
titlepage, pictures and colour, lists, refs, etc; overall this is a
detailed and visually interesting proposal; citing some examples of
media coverage might illustrate the (cultural) bias in the case;
overall, excellent beginning. A+18
allenwoodhouse -- 4 sspaced pages
including titlepage, subtitles, varied refspage; this is an
interesting contemporary case, displaying the effect of systemic
racism, and misconduct on the part of the police; the writing is
good, and the motivation to improve policing thru examining its
mistakes is also good; excellent beginning. A+18
mailmangillespie -- 4 sspaced pages
including subtitles, refspage; an unusual NB case, involving the
integrity of the police, who are often in the front line on such
cases; this case is a good example of the 'social harm' that can be
done in a wrongful, and that cost is as important as the legal
injustice; excellent case. A17
allenwoodhouse2 -- 3 pages including
media refspage; there is a lot here (only implicitly stated) about
'social harm', the damage to the individuals, and to their
community, and also to the family of the victim -- bringing that out
more explicitly would add more psychological detail to the analysis;
good case, good beginning. B15.5
romeophilleon -- 3 sspaced pages
including subtitles and refspage; so a 'fault-based' wrongful rests
on the idea that people make mistakes, and then stick to them
despite contrary evidence, which means that others would become
aware of that, undermining justice -- making this more explicit
would strengthen the analysis; good case. B-14
glennassoun -- 2 people; 2 pages including
references, picture, subtitles; the facts of the case are pretty
straightforward, but the serial killer angle is worth exploring
more: were there a lot of murders at the time, did they police
suspect, what was the evidence that was destroyed, etc.?; that could
be developed more; good case. B-14
marquardt -- 2 sspaced pages with subtitles,
web-references; the case is simple, forensic error -- more on why
that happened would add more detail to the analysis; good case, and
there were many others like it; overall, good beginning, needs to be
developed more psychologically. B-14
leightonhay -- 2 pages including mixed
refs; good case, more details on what happened could be provided,
and more on the role of media coverage in his exoneration, and on
racial bias in his conviction would develop the analysis more;
overall, good case, needs some more development. B-14
waltermcmillan -- 3 pages including
titlepage, subtitles, mixed refs; the racial bias theme is strong,
and is detailed well; is there anything that can be found in the
media either at the time of conviction or later?; overall, good
case, explained well. A-16
morin -- 3 pages including subtitles, mixed
refs; the facts of the case are laid out, and could have more
detail, eg., on the missing evidence, errors, etc; and more on the
psychological factors of cognitive bias would enhance the analysis;
overall, good overall, could develop the analytic angle more. B-14
truscott -- 2 sspaced pages, plus mixed
refspage; a thoughtful coverage of the case, showing where mistakes
wer,e made, and using that to argue for evidence-based training so
as to avoid making cognitive errors; overall, good case, and that
psychological angle could be developed more, as could the role of
the media. B+15.5
milgaard -- 3 sspaced pages with subtitles,
pictures, and mixed refspage; good coverage of the case, and
reflection on the cognitive biases involved; more on the role of the
media, if possible, would show how the case got public attention;
overall, good case and analysis. A-16
tunnelvision2 -- 2 pages with subtitles,
picture, 2 references; the concept of tunnel vision is a good one in
wrongful cases, because it does show where investigators have an
'investment' which they are unwilling to part with -- it is one of
many cognitive biases; overall, good, perhaps more examples would
help support the analysis. B-14
miaponoose -- 3 pages including mixed refs;
interesting case, and using subtitles would help bring out specific
elements and themes more; for example, was racism an issue, was this
a white community, was there pressure to solve the case?, and so on.
overall, good case, the psych angle is good, more on race perhaps.
B-14
hosannah -- 3 people, 3 pages with subtitles,
and mixed references; did the pathologist make an error that he
should have been aware of, or was race/ethnicity perhaps not part of
his training?, perhaps it was an error that was easy to make?;
overall, an interesting case, and pollanen appears in other
wrongfuls as well; good start. B-14
chrismccullogh -- 2 pages with
subtitles, and references; there is a long list of things that went
wrong in the case, were they obvious at the time or only in
hindsight?; how was he convicted on the basis of lies?; more on the
timeline, and on the psychology would help the analysis. C13
eyewitnessmisid -- 2 pages, 2
references; there are many factors which influence eyewitness
identification, from emotion, to race, lineups, and time of day;
making the examination more aligned with these factors would
strengthen the analysis; using subtitles might help identify themes
as well; overall, good topic, could be developed. C13
hernandez -- 5 pages, including titlepage,
subtitles, and 2 references (none academic); as said at the end,
there are many factors which feed into a wrongful, and disentangling
them is difficult, as is understanding why they occur in the first
place; overall, good summary of the case, more psychology would
help. B-14
eddieleehoward -- 2 pages with
subtitles, and mixed refspage; it is easy to point to problems in
the investigation and in the forensic analysis... for context, was
bitemark identification still widely used at this time?, had it
already resulted in wrongfuls?, had it been identified as an issue
by any authority? good case, more context needed. C13
mariashepherd -- 2 pages with subtitles,
3 refs; the case is one of many in Ontario in the 1990s, and more
could be made of the role of the pathologist, ie. what motivated
him, what led him to the conclusions he had, how was the conviction
overturned; overall, good case, could use more psychology in the
analysis. B-14
omarkhadr -- 2 pages with subtitles,
references; this is an important case, politically as well as
legally; the case is well described, in its errors and its
shortcomings; more on his illegal treatment as a sign of his
wrongful conviction would extend the analysis; overall, good work on
a difficult case. B+15.5
morin6 -- 2 sspaced pages with subtitles, pus
refspage; good summary of the case, and the things that 'went
wrong'; the case certainly ranks as one of the better known cases;
was there media coverage which might have been influential one way
or the other? overall, excellent beginning. A-16
tammymarquardt -- 2 pages with
subtitles, mixed references; this is an important case because it
highlights forensic pathology, and it was only one of many such
cases in Ontario in the 1990s; the role of her being single and
indigeneous could be as important as the pathologist's; overall,
excellent beginning. A-16