冤假錯案在過去的20年裡被認識到是一個世界範圍的、於刑事司法過程中存在的系統性的嚴重問題，中國的政治和法律界也意識到「錯案」這個重要議題，在這方面的學術研究也逐漸增多。本文針對近来中國的錯案研究進行定性分析，我們探討在中國錯案研究興起與發展的社會、政治和法律背景，描述錯案發生的頻率、原因和特點，並建議未來硏究方向。很重要的是，我們也提供了美國錯案研究的簡單綜述，以便能對中國相關硏究的廣度、深度、焦點和價値進行有效的評價。

It is only during the past two decades that the existence of factually wrongful convictions has been recognized as a systemic and serious problem in the criminal justice process worldwide. In China, wrongful conviction has also been recognized as an important issue by both the political and legal community, with an increasing amount of academic research on the subject matter. This article represents a qualitative review of these recent works. We discuss the sociopolitical and legal context of the development of wrongful conviction scholarship in China, describe the main findings regarding the incidence, characteristics, and causes of wrongful convictions, and suggest directions for future research. Importantly, we also offer a brief overview of American wrongful conviction scholarship as a backdrop to appreciate the scope, depth, focus and value of Chinese studies of miscarriages of justice.