In the fight to free the innocent, DNA technology has the power to change lives. It’s helped exonerate hundreds of people and today, on World DNA Day, we remain committed to funding DNA testing that could prove our clients’ innocence.
The Innocence Project’s DNA fund makes it possible for us to pay for our clients’ DNA testing, no matter the cost. But such tests can be expensive — often amounting to tens of thousands of dollars.
Consider the cases of Levon Brooks and Kennedy Brewer, two people who were wrongfully convicted of similar crimes based on bite marks — a debunked type of forensic evidence — in Mississippi in the early ‘90s.
DNA testing didn’t just clear their names. It provided a definitive match to another person, who later confessed and pleaded guilty to both crimes. What makes DNA unique is that it can definitively prove someone’s innocence.
Levon Brooks (left) and Kennedy Brewer (right), both wrongfully convicted based on bite mark evidence. (Photo: Isabelle Armand)
Unfortunately, DNA testing is expensive and becomes even more costly when the evidence is older and requires multiple rounds of advanced testing. These tests can run more than $50,000 — for just one case.
P.S. Tune in to our Instagram Live Q&A with a forensic scientist on Monday, April 26 at 12 p.m. ET to ask all your questions about DNA and forensic evidence.
The Innocence Project exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. www.innocenceproject.org
