Reading notes by Jonathan Egelston · Sources checked October 26, 2026
Where can you read credible information about wrongful convictions?
Start with documented exoneration research, original studies, and explanations from organizations that work on these cases. This reading list points to six sources and explains the different questions they can help answer. Inclusion is a reference, not an affiliation or endorsement of this website.
1. National Registry of Exonerations: annual research
The 2025 annual report, published April 6, 2026, recorded 97 exonerations occurring in 2025 and discusses contributing factors. Read the section explaining how older cases are added before comparing yearly totals. Its numbers are a snapshot, not a final count.
2. Gender in a defined group of cases
The Registry’s 2023 report includes a discussion of women and no-crime exonerations. It is useful for understanding that demographic patterns depend on which cases are counted. Do not use a selected group as a measure of all accusations.
3. Eyewitness identification
The Innocence Project’s eyewitness misidentification overview discusses memory, viewing conditions, and identification procedures. A key reading question is how an identification was obtained, not simply whether the witness sounded certain.
4. False confessions
The Innocence Project’s false-confession overview describes how coercion, exhaustion, and deceptive interrogation practices can contribute to unreliable admissions. It helps explain why the circumstances of a statement matter.
5. Forensic evidence and its limits
The Innocence Project’s forensic science overview discusses misleading testimony and limitations in forensic methods. Ask whether a source distinguishes what a technique can show from conclusions that exceed its capabilities.
6. A study of confirmed false police reports
Ferguson and Malouff’s 2016 meta-analysis examines confirmed false sexual-assault reports to police across seven studies. Its scope is narrower than all accusations, all offenses, or men’s lifetime experiences.
How should you use this list?
For each source, note its publication date, population, definitions, and limitations. Separate a report’s findings from your reaction to them. My opinion is that credible advocacy becomes stronger when readers can inspect the evidence themselves.
Frequently asked questions
Are these organizations connected to Jonathan Egelston?
No affiliation is claimed. These links identify independent sources for further reading.
Is every source a research study?
No. The list distinguishes a research report, an academic meta-analysis, and issue explainers. They serve different purposes.
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