What is it?
The Innocence Project was founded by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld in 1992 at the Cardozo School of Law in New York, with the aim of exonerating those who have been wrongly convicted through the use of modern science. The project also attempts to reform the criminal justice system in order to prevent future injustice.

What difference has it made?
Prior to the introduction of the Innocence Project the idea that criminal justice systems can make mistakes was not a popular opinion. The dedicated work and incredible success stories of the Innocence Project have helped build greater acceptance of the fact that all criminal justice systems are fallible and can be reformed. The project has exonerated more than 300 innocent people in the US.

The Innocence Project has identified trends that contribute to wrongful convictions such as coerced confessions, misapplication of forensic evidence, eyewitness misidentification and attempts to ensure that all investigations are based on the best science and highest standards. Following the success of the Innocence Project, 32 States have introduced over 100 wrongful conviction compensation laws and laws to prevent wrongful conviction. Today the innocence project is a growing organisation, spanning across 11 different departments. The project is currently working on a campaign to end America’s guilty plea problem.

Case Study 1: Timothy Bridges
Timothy Bridges was wrongfully convicted of rape and burglary based on incorrect testimony given by an FBI-trained state hair analyst. Bridges served 25 years in prison before the Innocence Project intervened to show that the evidence used to convict Bridges was scientifically invalid. In 2013, Bridges was released after serving 25 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.

Case Study 2: Stephen Avery
The Innocence Project was also famously involved in the original wrongful conviction of Stephen Avery for sexual assault, false imprisonment and attempted murder which became a high-profile case in the media following the success of the Netflix documentary Making a Murderer. Despite providing 16 alibi witnesses at trial, Avery was convicted of sexual assault based almost exclusively on an eyewitness account. Following intervention by the Wisconsin Innocence Project, DNA evidence was used to exonerate Avery and subsequently identify the real perpetrator, Gregory Allen. Avery served 18 years for this crime. He was subsequently convicted of a separate murder and sentenced to life in prison, the accuracy of which is questioned in the Netflix documentary.

Pictured are Innocence Project founders Barry Scheck (back left) and Peter Neufeld (front right), executive director Madeline deLone, and board chair Senator Rodney Ellis (Photo by Lisa Ross via Wikimedia Commons)

Find out more at 25years.innocenceproject.org

 

 

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