John,

As Women's History Month unfolds, we want to celebrate the strength and resilience of the remarkable women we count amongst our clients and exonerees and to dig a little deeper into the unique challenges that women face as a result of our broken criminal legal system. Women endure these burdens not only as innocent people wrongfully convicted, but as the ones who often shoulder the financial and caregiving responsibilities for their loved ones and family members behind bars.

There are so many things that cause concern about the way women show up in the criminal legal system.

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, the female prison population has burgeoned at more than twice the rate of their male counterparts in state prisons. Notably, women are disproportionately incarcerated in jails, where over half of them remain unconvicted and presumed innocent. Many of these women are mothers, adding another layer of complexity to their already challenging situations.

Since 1989, according to the National Registry of Exonerations, nearly 300 women have been exonerated, and shockingly, many of these women were wrongly convicted of crimes that never occurred. While more than 300 men have been exonerated with DNA evidence, the number of women benefiting from this process is significantly lower.

This Women's History Month, help us amplify the voices of wrongfully convicted women and join us in ensuring that women’s stories are not only heard but become a catalyst for change.

Sincerely,
The Innocence Project Team