Fact check: Have 200 inmates been declared innocent on death row?

1. Summary of the results

The claim that 200 inmates have been declared innocent on death row is definitively confirmed by all sources analyzed. Multiple authoritative organizations, including the Death Penalty Information Center and the Innocence Project, consistently verify that at least 200 people who were wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in the U.S. have been exonerated since 1973 ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

A significant milestone was reached on July 1, 2024, when Larry Roberts became the 200th person to be exonerated from death row after waiting 41 years for his name to be cleared ^[2]. As of July 2, 2024, this number represents 200 prisoners who have been exonerated and freed from death row since 1973 ^[4].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks several crucial pieces of context that significantly impact understanding of this issue:

• Timeline context: The 200 exonerations occurred over a 51-year period (1973-2024), not recently ^[1]
• Increasing wait times: There is a troubling trend showing that innocent death-sentenced prisoners are waiting longer than ever for exoneration, with Larry Roberts waiting 41 years ^[2]
• Systemic implications: The sources emphasize that these 200 cases highlight the significant risk of executing innocent people in the U.S. capital punishment system ^[4]
• Ongoing nature: The use of "at least 200" in multiple sources suggests this number may continue to grow ^{[1] [3]}

Organizations advocating for death penalty abolition would benefit from highlighting these statistics to demonstrate systemic flaws in capital punishment, while prosecutors and death penalty supporters might emphasize that the system ultimately worked by preventing wrongful executions through the exoneration process.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains no apparent misinformation or bias. It asks a straightforward factual question using neutral language. The term "declared innocent" accurately reflects the legal process of exoneration, and the specific number "200" is precisely correct based on the most recent data available. The question neither advocates for nor against the death penalty, making it an appropriately neutral inquiry about documented facts.