Junk Forensic Science and Wrongful Convictions: A National Survey Anchored by the Maria Montalvo Case

Georgia wrongfully convicts and incarcerates hundreds, possibly thousands, of innocent people due to a post-conviction system that erects near-insurmountable barriers to relief. Habeas corpus is functionally suspended by a four-year time bar, public defenders handle caseloads that make effective representation impossible, and junk forensic science has tainted countless convictions. Only three counties have any conviction integrity review, prosecutors face negligible accountability, and compensation for the exonerated remains meager and rarely granted.