Ryan Smith was falsely accused at 13 and sent to prison at 15. He will turn 25 in June and is still behind bars. Read More

The fallacious claims of a nine and a seven year old sent their aunt, Elizabeth Ramirez, and three of her friends to prison. Read More

   
Like so many other Americans, we are concerned about the failings of our criminal-justice system. The recent exonerations of convicted people via DNA evidence demonstrate beyond all reasonable doubt that many innocent people have been unjustly imprisoned or executed, especially those without the financial means to defend themselves against the state, the media, and other powerful institutions. Most of the innocent have been convicted because of faulty eyewitness testimony, coerced confessions, or the acceptance of junk science in the courtroom.

Especially vulnerable have been those accused of sex offenses -- especially sex offenses against children and adolescents. While none of us deny that these crimes occur, those accused nevertheless have the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty and to receive fair trials. But too often, hysteria reigns and the accused are tried and convicted by the media.

Many innocents, for example, were tried and convicted during the daycare sex-panic that began in the early 80s. Since rational observers now concede that terrible mistakes were made, few realize that a great many of those convicted still languish in prison. Most have no money to fund appeals, and have given up all hope of ever regaining freedom. DNA cannot help them, because no actual crimes were ever committed.

We hope to educate the public about current injustices and also to facilitate financial and legal assistance for the falsely accused and wrongfully convicted. Currently, we do not have the resources to provide this assistance directly. But we will act as a fiscal sponsor of community groups striving to free the innocent. Our Board has approved sponsorship of several of the wrongfully convicted, and will be sponsoring more in the future.