The Innocence Project

"The Innocence Project works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone."

In 1992, Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld founded the Innocence Project after discovering that they may be able to help death row inmates prove their innocence. They found that by finding the flaws within the system that resulted in these wrongful convictions, they could not only help people in being exonerated but also help prevent this from continuing in the future. By using their own interpretations of evidence and their own DNA testing, they would be able to prove how the wrongful conviction occurred and fix the mistakes. Since then, they have become one of the most sought-after organizations for incarcerated individuals seeking help in proving their innocence, receiving nearly 65,600+ letters each year from potentially wrongfully convicted individuals and their families.

Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld: Founders of the Innocence Project

As of today, the Innocence Project has helped in the exonerations of 253 individuals who had been sentenced to death row. Those individuals had collectively spent 4,016 years behind bars, waiting to be executed for a crime they did not commit.

Additionally, the program works to tackle the flaws found within the Justice system in an attempt to eliminate the failings that lead to wrongful convictions. By working alongside policymakers, supporters, and partner organizations, the organization has assisted in making changes within the federal and state legislation. Their efforts have improved access to post-conviction courts, strengthened police and prosecutorial accountability to prevent wrongful convictions, compensated wrongfully convicted individuals, and much more. They have also made moves to remove the practices that enable misidentifications, unreliable informant testimony, coerced guilty pleas, and false confessions. Their efforts have led to the passage of more than 250 transformative state laws and federal reforms.