Locked Up for ZERO Crime—How It Happens
In this episode of Stuck, host Andrew Wildes sits down with Professor Jessica Henry—attorney, former public defender, Montclair State University scholar, and author of Smoke but No Fire: Convicting the Innocent of Crimes That Never Happened.
They unpack the startling reality that up to 40 percent of U.S. exonerations involve “no-crime” convictions—cases where police, prosecutors, or flawed forensics pinned an offense on someone even though no illegal act occurred.
From Andrew’s eye-opening Linstead case in Jamaica to Texas death-row prisoner Robert Robertson’s pending execution, the conversation exposes systemic failures and maps out practical reforms.
Get the book: Smoke but No Fire: Convicting the Innocent of Crimes That Never Happened.
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Key Themes
“Smoke but No Fire”—crimes that never happened
Startling data: 40 % of U.S. exonerations are no-crime cases
Police field-test errors and mass drug-charge dismissals
Forensic fraud: arson myths, shaken-baby triad, lab scandals
Prosecutorial overreach, plea-deal coercion, and cognitive bias
Role of race and poverty in wrongful arrests
Independent experts vs. junk science in court
Death-row and life sentences for nonexistent offenses
Plea bargains trapping the innocent to “go home”
Structural fixes: training, funding defense, lab oversight, police reform
Brought to you by The Wave on the Frequency Network
Connect with Professor Jessica Henry
Website: https://www.jessicahenryjustice.com
Podcast: Just Justice | https://jessicahenryjustice.com/just-justice-podcast/
LinkedIn: Jessica Henry | http://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-henry-jd X
(Twitter): @jhenryjustice | https://x.com/jhenryjustice?lang=en
