Innocence Project

What is the Innocence Project?

In 1992, the Innocence Project was founded in order to clear anyone who had been wrongfully convicted of their crimes by testing DNA found at the crime scene with the DNA of the offender - DNA is not just used to find criminals and convict them for their crimes; it is also a useful way of getting people who have been wrongfully imprisoned out of jail. Physical evidence is kept for many years, which could include blood, hair, skin, fingernails or any other evidence that could be used to exonerate a wrongfully convicted individual.

Sometimes people are convicted of crimes where there is very little physical evidence or even none at all. In these cases, the defendant is convicted of a crime based solely on the testimony of an eye witness. If physical evidence appears years later, or if the technology becomes available to examine existing evidence, then that evidence can be used to prove the defendant’s innocence. In 15 years the Innocence Project has helped over 200 wrongfully convicted people get cleared of their criminal charges.

How Do People Get Wrongfully Convicted?

There are many ways in which a person can be wrongfully convicted, either by an error of the courts, a lack of technology at the time of conviction, or an error in the evidence or testimony that is presented during court. The main factors which lead to wrongful convictions are:

-Eye Witness Misidentification
-Limited Technology
-Unreliable Scientific Procedures
-False Confessions
-Misconduct by the Government
-Misconduct by the Forensic Science Lab
-False Identification through Informants
-Bad Criminal Lawyers