The Innocence Project (501 (c) (3) ) exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustices. Founded in 1992 by Peter Neufield and Barry Scheck at Cardozo School of Law.
One study estimated that up to 10,000 people may be wrongfully convicted of serious crimes each year.
A 2014 study estimated that 4.1% of inmates awaiting execution on death row in the United States are innocent, and that at least 340 innocent people may have been executed since 1973. (Wikipedia). In 2017, 139 people were exonerated in the US.
I often think about people who have been wrongfully sentenced for crimes they never committed. The currency of our lives is the time we have to live. Once this time is stolen nothing can fix it. Being exonerated is, by all means, a good thing, but day after day in prison being innocent is unthinkable.
The private prison system is like a mouth that demands to be fed at any cost. I remember, with horror, the days W Bush was Governor of Texas when Texas alone executed more people than the entire United States. When reporters questioned him about this he flippantly responded ” They are all guilty.” We know , in our bones, that innocents were murdered in the name of the State.
A while back I read an interesting article about how a Prosecutor had been sentenced to jail for withholding evidence that led to the conviction of an innocent man. I would like to see more of this. I love and admire the work and dedication of The Innocent Project for saving so many lives. Every life matters. I urge you to get involved.
0 Comments