How Often Are Innocent People Convicted Of Serious Crimes?

Once is too much. I do not have any figures or statistics but I do know here in America enough people were found innocent through the efforts of private investigations that the death penalty has been suspended if not entirely at least in several states. Pending further review.

Obviously the system is flawed but until they are proven innocent (once being found guilty) it's all theoretical.
I'm not sure how well they would even try to keep records on wrongful convictions, the authorities like to portray themselves as infallible

Too often if you ask me, they just want to have someone behind bars to look like they did their job

If you go by the recent news it happens everyday.they are releasing people left and right after doing dna tests.finding people innocent that have served20 years plus for someone else' crimes.

Much more often than anyone would like to admit or to think of in truth! I my self was falsely accused of crimes about 7 years ago by my ex-wife. I was zealously pursued by the courts and police for several years in attempts to arrest me. I never was however for no reason other than I was extra good! I was on extra-good behavior and did everything I could up through my criminal trial were I was facing 27 years in Prison. The sad fact is that I learned that in the US the courts and laws are all written by lawyers who argue the supposed facts to other lawyers that are all judged by a judge who is also a lawyer! I discovered that the whole legal system is about lawyers and what money they make not truth, justice and the American way that I was always lead to believe existed. The only thing that kept me out of jail was me and the only thing that saved me in my criminal trial was myself! My attorney was more interested in getting my ex-wife out on a date I latter learned. The cops are also not about what the truth is but who wins as winning is the real issue not what or whom is right and who is wrong. When the stories that my ex-wife told about me fell apart the people all just slowly disappeared but the damage to me, my reputation and career had been done. Once things are said they cannot be unsaid and the records exist even though they reflect I was not convicted. The mere fact that one is charged or things are said cannot be reversed! It is a sad situation but that is justice! There is none and while not everyone in prison is guilty there are a lot more people not in prison that should have justice dealt to them in an irreversible manner! This is why I learned that the figure that represents justice is blind, because the truth is not what is important it is the money and life that is taken from those falsely accused and Lady Justice can't bear to look at what she has not done for the sake of those that care only about the money they are paid to argue for more money for what they do not do for the just!

Why Keith are you planning on going up the river for a while?  If you ask the cons in prison they're all not guilty "I was framed."

I have always surmised about five percent. Too many people think that just because someone has been charged that they must be guilty...the worser the crime the greater the conviction rate..

Enough to provide Hollywood with a blockbuster hit every few years about the horrible injustice of America. Look, how often are guilty people convicted of serious crimes? Criminals get caught approx. On every tenth crime they commit, kinda sucks for those nine victims, huh?   "Innocent people", please define, well, he had three priors, he cant account for where he was, and or he was high and cant remember, but is sure he didnt do it, he has no job, or hes an aspiring rapper, look, my point is, Im sure it happens, its impossible to make a perfect system, BUT, have a job, have good friends, stay away from the crap part of town, do these things, and its far less likely someone will consider you part of the trash, unless of course your sleeping with the sheriffs daughter, then God help you!

Not to often do they escape it!

Once is once too much, seeing as how you asked.

Mostly happens with overzealous prosecuters...(agenda)...and Judges too...

There are some of course. Most times there are many things weighed carefully by very different individuals but as always we are only human & with that comes human error & judgement. We can only pray those who do not deserve to be convicted will get justice.

In America I think it happens quite often that Innocent people get convicted of serious crimes.

Firstly I want to say that I've never agreed with the American justice system and I've often wondered how many innocent people are convicted of crimes that they've never committed.  Lets just look at the Supreme court and talk about your serious cases.  You have a judge that sits there and do absolutely nothing except for shouting out some commands like "rephrase" and so on every now and again, then you have the panel of jury that sits there for years sometimes to listen to the advocates and they as the jury are the people who decide if you "the criminal" are guilty or not guilty.  How in the world can people be called of the street to do jury duty and yet they have no legal experience, knowledge of the justice systems or nothing and yet they are the people that will decided if you are guilty or not.  Then there's the advocates who will represent you and the other party, oh and that is the biggest show business to me because it is not about who is right or wrong with them but who will pay the most amount of money.  So for instance if I am the criminal but I have lots of money and I ask the best advocate to represent me and the money is right then that is what will happen and that advocate will try everything to make you look not guilty although you are.  Besides the money factor there is also the thing of which advocate can talk the most amount of crap in the shortest period possible and actually have the ability to make the jury believe that you are the right advocate to believe.  So who win the case, not necessarily the innocent party but the advocate that can talk and lie the best.

Then there is another thing I don't agree with and that is the amount of power that your justice systems and laws in general give to woman.  Look I don't believe in the thing that woman are suppose to be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, no I don't but what the Americans do is ridiculous.  I believe that everyone must be treated equally no matter if you are a man or a woman but in America it doesn't quite work like that, in your country it's all about woman and no matter if they are right or wrong they will be right until proven otherwise, this is where I feel very sorry for men especially when things turn sauer in a relationship and even in the work place when it comes to business dealings and sexual harassment, who was harassing who maybe it was the woman harassing the man but when things don't quite work out as planned then the man walks around without work and a record, you see the woman can then do what ever they want to and get away with it until proven otherwise where the man on the other hand can't move a finger and he will be wrong and will most of the times be convicted of crimes that was never committed in the first place and like the Count said, your reputation, name and the fact that although you might have been innocent the record remain on your name and this will affect you as a person in many ways throughout your life, this is enough by itself to cause men to hate woman so intensely, well enough to murder sometimes.

In my country you don't have a jury, you have a judge and the two advocate in court, now that judge studied for many years and have many years of experience before he or she can sit in that chair and make decisions that will affect you for the rest of your life.  Now I don't say that there is never Innocent people that gets convicted of criminal deeds no, there is some that still do the time although they are innocent but I can promise you this, it is a lot less then in America.  Here your advocate work to proof your innocents, why because here it's not about the one that can talk the most amount of crap but the one that can supply the best proof to proof that, that person is innocent and if none of the two parties can do so then the case gets thrown out of court.  It can of course be reopened if you manage to get proof at a later stage and the judge are the person that decide if you are innocent or not.

Most of the time. They just want people to become a scapegoat of their committed crimes. I won't be surprised if any political leaders do that to save themselves. There are also many news of people being set free after many years wrongly put into prison for the crime they did not do, due to the advancement in forensic science. The judicial system is flawed to some extent, with many guilty parties set free, in place of many innocent people being send to hell. That is a very sad sight, is it right?