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1 RACISM IN AMERICA Wrongful Convictions: Racism in America Kirsten Palmisano Master of Social Work, Morgan State University OMSW506: Urban Organizations, Neighborhoods, & Communities Dr. Shauntisha Pilgrim February 4, 2024

2 RACISM IN AMERICA Introduction This article discusses the wrongful 44-year conviction of a North Carolina man. The man who was wrongfully convicted name was Ronnie Long. Ronnie Long was convicted of raping a white woman by an all-white jury back in 1976, with his due process rights being violated. The article was written on January 10, 2024, and it was released on August 27, 2020. Long appealed his case back in February 2020 and it was determined that Long’s due process rights were violated (Nguyen, 2024). The podcast’s name is Wrongful Conviction with hosts Jason Flom, Josh Dubin, Laura Nrider, Maggie Frenleng, and Steven Drizin. The podcast discusses the case and they meet with Ronnie over the phone while he is imprisoned to discuss the injustices (Flom, 2020). Rationale I used this specific story as an example of racial inequality because black people specifically men face serious disparities and advantages. Race is very important when discussing the United States especially when discussing criminal justice. Black people are more likely to be convicted of crimes that they did not commit compared to other races (Gross, 2022). Gross discusses that innocent black people are almost eight times more likely than white people to be convicted of a rape that they did not commit (Gross, 2022). It is very common to hear a black person being imprisoned for something they did not do, or longer sentences compared to other races. I specifically found this interesting because of the evidence that is usually presented during the trials and growing up I wanted to work in forensics and possibly be a forensics psychologist to prevent these types of cases from occurring. Issue and Social System

3 RACISM IN AMERICA Wrongful Conviction host Jason Flom was a criminal justice reform advocate and he is a founding board member of the Innocence Project. Maggie Freleng was a Pulitzer Prize-winning podcast host and producer. Their knowledge gives them some credibility to discuss wrongful convictions and they also have lawyers and experts sharing their knowledge on each episode. The criminal justice system is being heavily discussed, this is the institutions and processes responsible for maintaining social order and handling criminal offenses as far as legal systems, police, and correctional facilities (Flom, 2020). This specific case covers wrongful convictions, systemic issues, and the legal process. Ronnie was wrongfully convicted in 1976 of burglary and rape based on accusations and of a biased jury, the conviction highlights the flaws in the criminal justice system such as the biased jury selection and racial potential racial disparities in the legal processes (Gross, 2022). The lawsuit accused authorities and the State Bureau of Investigation, of misconduct in Long’s case they also withheld evidence such as more than 40 fingerprints being found and semen samples that did not match Long’s which was crucial in his wrongful conviction (Flom, 2020). Long’s appeal was supported by a wrongful conviction clinic at Duke University’s Law School, which revealed the withheld evidence and led him to have a new hearing back in August 2020. After, the federal appeals court ordered a new hearing which almost immediately after was vacated which led to his release. Long was granted $22 million from the city of Concord and $3 million from the State Bureau of Investigation leaving him with $25 million which was one of the largest wrongful conviction settlements nationally (Gross, 2020). Although Long was granted $25 million he spent 44 years in prison, he missed out on his life with his family and kids and most of his adult years. The settlement serves as a recognition of the injustice that the individual endured, but they could never get back. This emphasizes the

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