The National Registry of Exonerations, a joint project of the University of California Irvine Center for Science and Society, University of Michigan Law School, and Michigan State University College of Law, shows that from January 1989 through February 2, 2020, 2,549 convicted individuals have been exonerated. In a February 2019 study, out of 2400 exonerations, 291, or 12 percent, had falsely confessed. Of those, 76 were under 18 years old at the time of the crime, and 102 were reported as having either a mental illness or intellectual disability.

a. The U.S. prison population has been estimated at somewhat above 2 million, generally viewed as the highest number of incarcerations in the world. In your opinion, what may the number of exonerations recorded in the National Registry of Exonerations compared to the U.S. prison population show about the U.S. criminal justice system? Explain. 

b. Data from the National Registry of Exonerations show that 59 percent of exonerations involved perjury or false accusations and 54 percent involved official misconduct. What conclusions might be drawn from this data? Explain.