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Abstract
The wrongful conviction of Joseph Sledge proves that mistakes are made within the
criminal justice system. These mistakes are to be addressed and prevented. Because of
investigators’ tunnel vision, coincidences, and lack of willingness to perform a thorough
investigation, an innocent man spent the majority of his life in prison. Two women were brutally
murdered around the same time Sledge escaped prison, and investigators chose him as the
suspect and attempted to link the evidence to him. Training, policy, ethics, and protocol should
be clearly stated and executed to avoid mistakes and human error in crime scene investigations.
When conducting an investigation from a biblical standpoint, the actions and performance may
be different than those with a secular worldview because Christians should strive to be honest
with their work and use their God-given talents to do their best without slacking in any area.
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Joseph Sledge Case
One of the goals of the criminal justice system is to convict the guilty and prove
innocence. Sometimes justice is not served fairly when the guilty walk away freely and the
innocent are sent away. One such case is an example of an innocent person being sent to prison
for a crime he did not commit. Joseph Sledge spent almost forty years in prison after being
accused of the murder of Josephine and Aileen Davis. When investigating crimes, it is important
to look at all evidence and be open to all possibilities. The human error of tunnel vision,
discrimination, or carelessness can easily come into play to close a case. Training, policy, ethics,
and protocol must be embedded into law enforcement personnel so they can do their job to the
best of their ability.
Facts of the Joseph Sledge Case
Joseph Sledge, an African American male, was serving a four-year sentence at White
Lake Prison Camp in Bladen County, North Carolina. He happened to escape the same day
Josephine and Aileen Davis were brutally stabbed and likely sexually assaulted. Some of the
evidence on the scene included African American hairs, bloody palm prints, and bloody shoe
prints, none of which belonged to Sledge. The lead prosecutor for Sledge’s second trial was
future North Carolina Governor, Mike Easley who was fixated on the hair evidence to convict
Sledge. The hair evidence and Sledge’s hair appeared to match according to an analyst. Two
inmates were given compensation to testify against Sledge, which strengthened the prosecutor’s
argument. In 1978, he was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to
two life sentences during his second trial. While in prison, Sledge filed over twenty-five motions
to prove his innocence. With the advancement in DNA technology, he pleaded for the hairs to be
tested to show they were not his. State agencies did not grant his motions, but the North Carolina
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Center on Actual Innocence picked up the case. The evidence from the scene was “missing” and
could not be located. Finally, in 2012, the hair evidence was found and tested and proved the
innocence of Sledge. Sledge was then set free in 2015 at the age of seventy.
Issues of the Case
This case raises many issues within the criminal justice system. One main ethical issue is
discrimination against Sledge. The murderer was an African American, so Sledge became the
main suspect solely because of his race. Gonzalez (2021) describes that in a study, all but one of
the wrongfully convicted in the sample were people of color (para. 7). Another issue was the
human error of tunnel vision. When officers and investigators have tunnel vision, they lose sight
of other possibilities like suspects and relevant evidence. In this case, investigators ignored the
facts of the DNA evidence that would have proved Sledge’s innocence, such as the hair. Hair can
be considered as a class characteristic when analyzed by an examiner (Gardner & Krouskup,
2018, p. 29). After the hair is examined to either rule out or keep a suspect, it can be tested for
DNA (Bertino & Bertino, 2016, p. 60). Another issue is that the inmates were paid to commit
perjury. From a biblical perspective, lying goes against what God commands. Proverbs 12:22
says, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight”
(ESV).
Although investigators may feel pressure to close a case, they must be careful with the
steps they are taking to ensure justice is served. Rushing to determine a suspect raises the risk of
mistakes and injustice. Those who are honest with their work will be blessed. Ephesians 4:28
states, “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own
hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (ESV). When doing work
truthfully, a person will build a trustworthy reputation for themselves that will help in future
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opportunities. In the Joseph Sledge case, investigators were desperate to arrest a suspect and did
not put in effort to find the real suspect. This led to an innocent man being locked up for almost
forty years. A goal of investigators is to figure out the truth of a crime and not base anything on
their personal opinion (Gardner & Krouskup, 2018, p. 13). They must be trained to investigate
crimes competently, effectively, and ethically without missing steps or processes. They must also
be trained to correctly collect and preserve evidence such as DNA. With the rise of technology,
DNA testing has become advanced and has been used as admissible evidence in court to prove
guilt (Srivastava et al., 2022). Being a reliable expert witness proves the integrity of a department
or agency and can build more public trust in the criminal justice system.
Conclusion
The actions of investigators must be accounted for to ensure the investigation process is
done correctly and precisely. The competence of investigators is vital when processing a scene.
They must be honest in every aspect and be truthful with their work. The following are
recommendations for training, policy, ethics, and protocol:
Be open to all possibilities without singling out any one suspect and look at all the facts.
Be honest and truthful in court to build a strong trustworthy reputation.
Perform DNA testing when necessary to rule out suspects/add suspects.
Process the scene in a specific order to ensure it is handled properly with minimal to no
mistakes.
Complete a bi-annual mock crime scene to ensure real crime scenes are being properly
processed.
Ensure all evidence is properly handled and locked away in its correct location.
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Complete all mandatory paperwork quickly and thoroughly after processing the crime
scene.
Use all evidence found to prove guilt or innocence – not one or two pieces of evidence.
Carefully examine details of evidence like fingerprints, hairs and fibers, and shoeprints.
Ask for a second opinion to reduce the possibility of mistakes or misinterpretations.
Being thorough in the process will lead to a smoother investigation. It is important for Christians
to allow their biblical worldview to influence how they perform. Honesty is imperative in the
criminal justice system, and Christians should uphold that value for justice to be served. They
should also do everything to glorify God as Colossians 3:17 states, “And whatever you do, in
word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father
through him” (ESV).
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References
Bertino, A. J. & Bertino, P. (2016). Forensic Science: Fundamentals and Investigations (2nd ed.).
Cengage Learning.
Gardner, R. M. & Krouskup, D. (2018). Practical Crime Scene Processing and Investigation (3rd
ed.). CRC Press.
Gonzalez, E. (2021). Reckoning with Wrongful Convictions. Criminal Justice, 35(4), 4-4,15.
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/trade-
journals/reckoning-with-wrongful-convictions/docview/2501508391/se-2
Srivastava, A., Harshey, A., Das, T., Kumar, A., Yadav, M. M., & Shrivastava, P. (2022). Impact
of DNA evidence in criminal justice system: Indian legislative perspectives. Egyptian
Journal of Forensic Sciences, 12(1)https://doi.org/10.1186/s41935-022-00309-y
The Holy Bible. (2001). English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles.
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