Everyone should be aware of the Innocence Record, if you are not already familiar with it. From the Innocence Record website:
The Innocence Record is a collection and collation of available public documents concerning the nearly 300 persons who have been wrongfully convicted and later exonerated through DNA evidence. The circumstances of each exoneree’s wrongful conviction is profiled on the site, along with information concerning the court proceedings and participants. The available and collected public records, as well as case abstracts summarizing key information from those documents are available for the first time in searchable form over the World Wide Web.
This document database and website are the products of a unique collaboration between Winston & Strawn LLP and The Innocence Project. The public records and court files were gathered through the cooperation and perseverance of more than 700 volunteers, including attorneys, court personnel, paralegals and law students. Once obtained, the files were then digitally imaged and carefully reviewed for key data by attorneys and summer associates of Winston & Strawn. This data was then input into a searchable database that can be engaged in numerous ways.
The gathering and mining effort is ongoing and has consumed more than 20,000 volunteer hours to date.
It is our hope and expectation that careful examination and study of these documents will provide a greater understanding of why wrongful convictions occur, and lead to systemic improvements in our justice system.
More information here.
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