Stuck: Wrongful Convictions in Jamaica with Andrew Wildes cover art

Stuck: Wrongful Convictions in Jamaica with Andrew Wildes

Stuck: Wrongful Convictions in Jamaica with Andrew Wildes

By: The Frequency Network: The Wave
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 What happens when the justice system gets it wrong? Every week on Stuck, Jamaican lawyer and journalist Andrew Wildes tackles the problem of wrongful convictions in Jamaica. Hear about the innocent, imprisoned and ignored, the lawyers battling to free them, and the experts demanding change. Brought to you by The Wave on the Frequency Network. Politics & Government Social Sciences True Crime
Episodes
  • The Top Causes of Wrongful Convictions — Dr. Rebecca Helm Explains Why Innocent People Get Found Guilty

    The Top Causes of Wrongful Convictions — Dr. Rebecca Helm Explains Why Innocent People Get Found Guilty
    Jan 25 2026
    Rebecca Helm breaks down the quiet driver behind wrongful convictions: the pressure to plead guilty—even when you didn’t do it. Helm is a law professor and empirical legal studies researcher at the University of Exeter, working in an evidence-based justice lab. She explains what the data shows about how wrongful convictions happen across common-law systems, and why Jamaica should pay close attention. Her biggest finding is blunt: guilty pleas are highly incentivized, and that pressure can corner innocent people into taking deals just to avoid the risk of prison. She points to the UK Post Office scandal as a modern warning—where faulty software helped fuel accusations, and some people pleaded guilty to dodge harsher outcomes at trial. The conversation digs into who gets hit hardest. Helm describes children as one of the most overlooked groups in criminal justice—pushed by parents, lawyers, peers, and even judges to “just plead” to end the process. She also flags other vulnerable defendants, including neurodivergent people and abuse survivors. Beyond pleas, she outlines two more recurring causes: testimony-heavy cases that lean on eyewitness confidence, and the growing misuse of digital forensic evidence when lawyers and judges lack the technical literacy to challenge it. Key Themes ➤ Guilty pleas as a leading cause of wrongful convictions ➤ The “trial penalty” and why innocent people take deals ➤ The Post Office scandal as a tech-driven miscarriage of justice ➤ Children pressured into pleading guilty ➤ Neurodivergence, abuse survivors, and vulnerability in court ➤ Eyewitness confidence and testimony-driven cases ➤ Digital forensics: misread tech evidence and low tech literacy ➤ One fix Helm would prioritize: reduce plea incentives ➤ Why registries and case data change policy conversations Chapter Breakdown 00:00 — “I Pled Guilty to Survive” 00:10 — Why Innocent People Plead 00:18 — Meet Dr. Rebecca Helm 01:06 — Jamaica’s 3 Big Questions 02:58 — Cause #1: Guilty Plea Pressure 03:30 — Post Office Scandal: Tech Failure 04:40 — Why Kids Say “Guilty” 07:25 — Other Vulnerable Defendants 09:10 — Testimony, Eyewitness Confidence 10:54 — Digital Forensics Gone Wrong Brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Wave⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Frequency Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Connect with Rebecca Helm LinkedIn: Rebecca Helm More About Andrew Wildes Explore the work of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Andrew Wildes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠—Jamaican lawyer, journalist, and host of Stuck: Wrongful Convictions in Jamaica. His mission is to expose systemic injustice, amplify the voices of the wrongfully imprisoned, and drive meaningful legal reform through storytelling and advocacy. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ For updates, insights, and behind-the-scenes content, follow Andrew across platforms and join the conversation on justice in Jamaica. Production, Distribution, and Marketing Produced by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Massif Studio & Production⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Tallawah Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Massif Studio Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Massif on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tallawah Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ For inquiries/sponsoring: email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hello@MassifKroo.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    20 mins
  • King’s Counsel Andrew Pilgrim: The Case That Forced Barbados to Record Interrogations

    King’s Counsel Andrew Pilgrim: The Case That Forced Barbados to Record Interrogations
    Dec 30 2025
    King’s Counsel Andrew Pilgrim breaks down how Barbados nearly railroaded an innocent man — even after the victims said police arrested the wrong suspect. Pilgrim has spent 32 years defending the accused and challenging convictions built on shaky confessions. He tells the unbelievable story of Derrick Crawford: two tourist victims went to police and court to say the man charged was not their attacker, yet the case kept moving and Crawford stayed locked up. Pilgrim explains why this happens in small Caribbean states—pressure to “solve” high-profile crimes fast, overreliance on confession evidence, and a culture that treats police narratives as truth. He also walks through Haynes and Edwards, a murder case where the only real evidence was a disputed, unrecorded confession. That case reached the Caribbean Court of Justice and helped force a major shift: Barbados finally moved toward mandatory audio-video recording of interrogations in serious cases, cutting down the space for coercion, fabrication, and “he said, they said” convictions. Key Themes ➤ How confession-driven policing fuels wrongful convictions ➤ Why “solve it fast” pressure leads to bad arrests and prosecutions ➤ The Derrick Crawford case: victims tried to free the accused ➤ Haynes & Edwards and the CCJ’s warning on confession-only cases ➤ Why recording interrogations changes everything ➤ Judge-alone trials, jury reform, and shrinking bail in the region ➤ Remand time credit, plea deals, and the push for real evidence Chapter Breakdown 00:00 — Victims Say “Wrong Man” 03:49 — Confessions Ran the System 07:09 — How Crawford Became the Target 10:31 — Why the Case Kept Going 14:11 — Rare Exoneration: Child Returns 15:46 — CCJ: False Confessions Are Real 16:21 — Haynes & Edwards Explained 18:49 — CCJ Raises the Evidence Bar 20:28 — Barbados Finally Records Interviews 21:48 — Juries, Bail, and Backlog Fights Brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Wave⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Frequency Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Connect with Andrew Pilgrim https://kctchambers.com/our-team-2/ https://dm.linkedin.com/in/andrew-pilgrim-b962855b More About Andrew Wildes Explore the work of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Andrew Wildes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠—Jamaican lawyer, journalist, and host of Stuck: Wrongful Convictions in Jamaica. His mission is to expose systemic injustice, amplify the voices of the wrongfully imprisoned, and drive meaningful legal reform through storytelling and advocacy. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ For updates, insights, and behind-the-scenes content, follow Andrew across platforms and join the conversation on justice in Jamaica. Production, Distribution, and Marketing Produced by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Massif Studio & Production⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Tallawah Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Massif Studio Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Massif on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tallawah Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ For inquiries/sponsoring: email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hello@MassifKroo.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    38 mins
  • Bonus: Krista Mason-Smith on the Privy Council Reversal and Custody Reform in the Bahamas

    Bonus: Krista Mason-Smith on the Privy Council Reversal and Custody Reform in the Bahamas
    Nov 25 2025
    Bonus episode today: Bahamian defense lawyer Krista Mason-Smith breaks down a landmark Privy Council wrongful-conviction reversal. She explains how custody abuse and inconsistent confession evidence derailed justice, why prosecutors dropped related charges, and how recordings and early access to counsel are shifting Caribbean policing. A must-listen on reform and accountability. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    29 mins
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