There are innocent prisoners in every state and each time one is exhonorated, the public becomes more aware that we desperately need safeguards like the innocence projects. I am going to share info on one such project in the state of Florida. If you'd rather support one in your own state, check with them to see what kind of financial state they are in, for most such projects are shamefully underfunded. Kay Lee
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The Florida Innocence Inititiative needs us.
According to the Innocence Project, as of May 16, 2005, 159 innocent people on death row alone have been EXONERATED. Florida was forced to release it's 26th innocent person last week.
There'd be a lot more cases of such injustice found**, but the innocent person in prison has to have a strong advocate on the outside, preferable one with some money to fight the system for him, or he'd never be given his DNA nor get himself back into court to be cleared. (**estimates of innocent people in American prisons now range from 2 to 25% of the nearly 2 1/2 million prisoners we hold. There's just no way to know.)
Every time another innocent person is found in prison and set free, the public tends to rest assured that the system works. That's what the politicians would have us believe, but it's just not true: Anyone with any knowledge of the justice system knows that the system does not work in these cases: These people are released, not because of, but in spite of the system.
The ONLY reason any of these people were validated was because someone on the outside believed in them enough to spend their own time, energy and resources to fight the system for DNA and a new trial.
The various innocence projects have saved society from it's folly over and over again = at least 150 times on death row alone. Don't be fooled: Don't you think after 10, 20, even 40 years in prison, if the system was going to let them go, they would have? No, the reason these people ever get out is people and projects who care more than the average bear about people in the system, their guilt or innocence.
If it had been up to the system, not one of them would have ever been released, but thanks to a relative handful of people on the outside, justice was finally found for 159 of them.
Florida has a group of people working for the innocents trapped in prison, but they are about to have to close down due to lack of funding. The Nova University Innocence Project (also in Florida), has already had to close down due to lack of funds. I don't believe good people out here aren't interested in finding the system's mistakes and fixing them. I believe people just may not be aware that places like this exist nor that there is such a great need for them.
This particular project, the Florida Innocence Inititiative, is looking at a forced closure because they are running out of money. They get no public funding for doing the state's work: They survive only on private donations and two small private grants. If they go away, so does the Innocence Initiative and even more innocent people will languish or die in prison.
It is highly likely that there are prisoners in custody (a suspected 600 of them in Florida) whose rights will be extinguished if the Court fails to allow ample time for them to file motions requesting DNA testing. Some of these cases take up to 3 years and the courts only want to allow a year. There should be no time limit on innocence. We need the Florida Innocence Initiative to work on this problem before we commit more grave mistakes.
If you have any ideas for fund-raising projects, let the project know. If you have funds you could pitch in, no matter how small (it all adds up), contact them. Or if you know of grants they can apply for, please share your knowledge.
This project is well worth saving. They now have a Paypal account if you'd care to make a donation - the Paypal address is mfontaine@innocenceproject.org.
And please pass this message along. Many innocent people are depending on us. It could one day even be you or someone you love. THANKS.
Jenny Greenberg
Director
Michelle L. Fontaine
Assistant Director
Florida Innocence Initiative, Inc.
1720 S. Gadsden Street, Suite 207
Tallahassee, Florida 32301
(850) 561-6767
mfontaine@innocenceproject.org
(Grateful thanks to Kay Lee of Making The Walls Transparent for her help, and on behalf of all possible Innocents on Florida Death Row, who are yet to be helped.)
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