John —

Tomorrow is Wrongful Conviction Day — a day where we collectively talk about the causes of and remedies for wrongful conviction and advocate for the many people impacted by wrongful incarceration.

Every single day, innocent people are wrongly convicted around the world. In fact, since 1989, almost 3,000 wrongful convictions have been revealed across the nation with people collectively spending 25,000 years behind bars for crimes they didn’t commit. Our friends at the Innocence Network promote this day as a way to raise awareness about the issue and invite new people to join the movement working to free the innocent.

Here are four of their top recommendations for getting involved:

1. Thank Congresswoman Maxine Waters for introducing the Justice for Exonerees Act on social media.
2. Visit the Innocence Network Locator and Directory to connect with your local Innocence Network organization.
3. Follow along and join the conversation on social media using #WrongfulConvictionDay.
4. Find and participate in one of the many Wrongful Conviction Day events happening across the globe tomorrow.

Thank you so much,

— The Innocence Project Team

PS. This year’s Wrongful Conviction Day theme is “the fight continues,” highlighting the long journey to overturning wrongful conviction and the challenges that exonerees continue to overcome after being freed. Rebuilding a life after wrongful imprisonment is extremely difficult, no matter how much time passes. Henry James, who was exonerated 10 years ago, was recently displaced from his home ahead of Hurricane Ida and needs support to secure long-term housing. Check out his fundraiser here.