The Innocence Project has crossed a milestone worthy of high honor but nevertheless difficult to celebrate. Using DNA testing, the nonprofit group has demonstrated the innocence of 250 people wrongfully convicted of crimes like sexual assault, rape, kidnapping, child molestation, and murder. Since 1989, they have proven 250 times that the criminal justice system needs reform with regard to how investigations are conducted.
The accused in these wrongful convictions suffered heavily. The average exonerated convict served thirteen years before being freed, and seventeen of the accused actually served time on death row. Entering jail at an average age of 27, the average detainee spent all of his thirties behind bars.
The causes of the wrongful convictions are a laundry list of failed critical thinking. Many are convicted based solely on the testimony of a single eyewitness, even though eyewitness testimony can be very unreliable. Another cause, affecting more than 50% of the cases, was the improper practice of forensic science. And incredibly, in 25% of the exonerations, an innocent person actually confessed to the crime., due to physical or emotional pressure, fatigue, confusion, diminished capacity, or mental impairment.
Other causes involve deliberate deceit by government officials or informants, or incompetent legal representation for the accused.
Solutions to these problems are possible, however, largely through the better application of science to police investigations. The Innocence Project has suggested improved methods for protecting the integrity of eyewitness testimony, suspect confessions, and the collection and preservation of evidence.
Were it not for the relatively recent scientific breakthrough of DNA profiling, the Innocence Project clients would still be hopeless to recover their freedom and reputations. The situation is much bigger than 250 people, however. The National Institute of Justice did a study in 1995 in which 10,060 cases involving DNA testing were reviewed. In 25% of those cases, an accused suspect was exonerated before conviction.
The question then becomes, "how many people are innocently convicted, but whose innocence can't be proven with DNA testing?" According to the Project website, "only 5-10% of all criminal cases involve biological evidence that could be subjected to DNA testing. Even when such evidence exists, it is often lost or destroyed after a conviction.
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