Statement from The Justice Project Ed Fund on the Introduction of the Innocence Protection Act of 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“The Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act, and the Innocence Protection Act provisions, are important steps in the ongoing effort to make our justice system as fair and accurate as possible.
The stories are all too familiar - more than 100 people exonerated from death row, roughly one for every eight executed; nearly seven of ten death penalty verdicts are sent back for retrial, creating a cycle of appeals that forces victim’s families to re-live the nightmare; corruption and incompetence in crime labs; defense lawyers who sleep through trials and prosecutors more interested in winning at any cost than in seeking justice; and countless crimes that remain unsolved because no one has tested the evidence sitting on the shelves. The American people are demanding solutions, and their elected officials are listening.
The primary goal of our criminal justice system is to protect the innocent - both from being wrongfully sent to prison or death, and from the guilty who may remain in our communities while crimes go unsolved or the wrong person is behind bars. By carefully and honestly examining our system, and constantly working to improve it, we can protect the innocent and live up to the promise of justice”
- Peter Loge, Director
Criminal Justice Reform Education Fund
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The Justice Project [ http://www.thejusticeproject.org ] (TJP) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that addresses issues of social justice here and abroad. TJP’s Campaign for Criminal Justice Reform is a national initiative that addresses flaws in the American justice system.
