Wrongful convictions on TV crime dramas: Art imitating life and life imitating art

“Cold Case,” as some of you fellow television crime drama fans know, is a fictional program that airs on the CBS network Sunday evenings. It is set in Philadelphia, and features fictional detectives who solve murders that have  remained unsolved for years.  The just-aired episode (March 21) is about a wrongful conviction in a murder-by-arson case.

“Cold Case,” “Law and Order,” “Castle,” “Bones,” “CSI,” “Without a Trace,” “Shark” and other fictional television dramas employ writers, producers and directors smart enough–gutsy enough–to suggest to mass audiences the criminal justice system is so flawed that wrongful convictions occur. Generally, I find the scripts mostly accurate–not only ripped from the headlines, but also well-researched.

The vast majority of episodes aired on all the shows suggest the criminal justice system works well in the majority of cases. That is true in every prosecutor’s jurisdiction I have studied.

So three cheers to the mass audience programs that show police, prosecutors and judges working within the system to demonstrate effective crime fighting.  That said, three cheers as well for the occasional episodes that convey the revolting reality of wrongful convictions.

I have a good grasp (I think) of nonfiction books, magazine accounts and television/radio documentaries about wrongful convictions. But my grasp of fictional accounts–tv one-hour dramas, full-length movies and novels mostly–might contain gaps. I’m interested in hearing from you about memorable fictional portrayals of wrongful convictions.