As of this past April, there have been 305 post-conviction DNA exonerations in the United States, including 18 exonerated individuals who spent time on death row.
Thanks to the "transformative technolgy" of DNA testing, Barry Scheck, co-founder of the Innocence Project, says that nearly half of the time the real perpetrator of the crime has been identified with the extant DNA.
But only five percent of the total number of cases leave biological evidence. So the project has begun to expand the scope of its activities to address the wrongful convictions of individuals for reasons ranging from the unreliability of eyewitness testimony to prosecutorial misconduct, and is working with law enforcement as well as the courts on a reform agenda.
The Innocence Project, recently added to the speaker lineup for 2013, will participate in the IdeaFestival! Festival passes are now on sale.
Stay curious.
Wayne