Instructions for Using the Registry

The table below shows all individual exonerations. By default, the table is set to show exonerations from 1989 through the present. Check "Pre-1989" in the Exoneration Era filter to view Pre-1989 exonerations. Use the filters on the left to search for exonerations with particular criteria. Hover over the symbols for explanations of filters or columns. Use the Keyword Search box to filter for cases that contain those keywords in the narrative summary.

If multiple keywords are entered, the search will show cases in which the narrative contains ANY of those words. Since the table is filtered to 1989 through the present by default, a search for the name of someone who was exonerated before 1989 will not produce results until the Date of Exoneration is adjusted, or the Pre-1989 filter is selected. Once filters have been set, select the column headings you wish to display, and sort the table by whatever column heading you choose by clicking on the column heading. For more detailed instructions, see Understanding the Registry, under "About" at the top right of the Home Page. Note: 1989 was the year of the first DNA exoneration and the dawn of a new era of wrongful convictions. The Registry used to separate the two - pre and post 1989 exonerations - into two separate and distinct databases. They are now synthesized to reflect the entire body of exoneration data. If you wish to view exonerations prior to 1989, check "Pre-1989" in the Exoneration Era filter. Read Less
Total records: 7
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Name State County Convicted Exonerated Crime Sentence Term of Years Years lost Age Race Sex Year of recantation Date of Release Posting Date
Banks, Medell Alabama Choctaw 2001 2003 Manslaughter Term of Years 15 years 2 27 Black Male 2002 2003 08-29-2011
Butler, Louise Alabama Lowndes 1928 1928 Murder Life 0 Black Female 1928
Gray, Anthony Maryland Calvert 1991 1999 Murder Life 7 23 Black Male 1999 08-29-2011
Pardue, Michael Alabama Baldwin 1973 1997 Murder Life 24 17 White Male 1996 1997 08-29-2011
Pardue, Michael Alabama Mobile 1973 1995 Murder Life 0 17 White Male 1973 08-01-2023
Pardue, Michael Alabama Mobile 1973 1997 Murder Life 0 17 White Male 1973 08-01-2023
Ward, Bernard Maryland Anne Arundel 1989 1994 Murder Life 5 28 White Male 1994 1994 06-22-2013