John,

I practiced criminal law for 10 years back in the 1980s and never handled a case in which I thought my client was wrongfully convicted. It wasn’t until I started doing research for my 2006 book The Innocent Man that my eyes were opened to the world of wrongful convictions.

I slowly realized that there are thousands of innocent people in prison, and I knew I needed to get involved and be part of a solution. That’s why I’m proud to support the Innocence Project.

My friends at the Innocence Project fight every day to help get justice for those who’ve been locked up for crimes they didn’t commit, but they can’t do it without help from people who care — like you and me.

Giving Tuesday is tomorrow, and it’s a day that calls on all of us to think about how we can give back. I believe that there’s no better cause you can support on this global day of generosity than the Innocence Project.

Please join me in making a donation right now to help the Innocence Project continue and expand its life-changing work. The best part is, I have the honor of announcing that two generous donors have agreed to match all Giving Tuesday gifts to the Innocence Project, dollar-for-dollar, up to $100,000 — so get in on this incredible gesture and double your impact right now.

For me, I don’t think there’s anything worse than our system wrongfully convicting someone and locking them up.

But this is the case for many innocent people in prison stuck serving someone else’s sentence. Their convictions could have been avoided, but unfortunately our criminal legal system is falling short of delivering that justice.

I’m so grateful that an organization like the Innocence Project exists. They’ve helped free or exonerate more than 240 people and have worked to pass more than 200 policies at the state and federal level to help transform this system.

John, that’s exactly the kind of work we need to be funding without reservation. So please, make a donation to the Innocence Project right now and your gift will be matched. It’s a rare opportunity to maximize your impact while supporting the innocence movement.

Thank you so much for your support,

John Grisham
Novelist and Innocence Project Board Member