Betty Tyson

Betty Tyson (June 29, 1948 – August 17, 2023) was a black woman known for her wrongful conviction in the murder of an American businessman in 1973. Tyson, who was 24 at the time of her arrest, spent 25 years in prison, becoming New York State's longest-serving female inmate until her release on May 28, 1998. Her case prompted allegations of police misconduct, coerced testimony, and the exposure of evidence fabrication by a detective, leading to her eventual exoneration. After her release, Tyson struggled financially but was known for her positive transformation in prison, where she found religion, earned a general equivalency diploma, and acquired various vocational skills. She is considered to be a symbol of the potential for miscarriages of justice within the American legal system.