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EVERY INNOCENT PERSON HAS A STORY TO TELL.

Innocent people are often convicted of crimes they don’t commit. It’s a tragedy that can happen to anyone, and particularly impacts people living in over-policed communities, such as people with low-incomes, and those who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

Brandon

King County, Exonerated After Serving 10 Years In Prison For A Robbery He Didn’t Commit.

JUNIOR

Yakima County
Tried As An Adult And Wrongly Convicted Of First-Degree Murder At The Age Of 15.

Larry

Lost 17 Years At The Hands Of The State. He Lost His Health, His Father, & His Future. RIP (1958-2017)

 

TED

Yakima County, Served His Full Ten-Year Sentence, Exonerated After DNA Evidence Proved Him Innocent.

We free Innocent people from prison.

Innocent people are often convicted of crimes they don’t commit.

HOLDING OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE TO COMMUNITY.

Black people are significantly more likely to be convicted of crimes they didn’t commit, serve longer sentences than non-Black people for the same crimes, and be impacted by all injustices within our court and prison systems.

Reforming the System.

Addressing wrongful convictions alone does not mean we have achieved true justice. Innocence work is one piece of a vast movement to confront injustice within our court and prison systems. While our mission is to advocate for innocent people, we also believe that the system should work equitably for everyone. In order to make deeper, more meaningful change, Washington Innocence Project is actively seeking partnerships with activists and organizations working on these wide-ranging issues.

POWER OF THE PROSECUTOR.

On May 31, Washington Innocence Project hosted a community discussion about the role and importance of prosecutors in the criminal justice system. WashIP aimed to create a space for and encourage community-led discussions about the importance of this elected office and the role of prosecutorial decision-making in achieving true justice.

welcome aboard lester.

As a husband, father, friend, community advocator, and business owner, Lester has his mind set on healing reintegrated individuals and children to find their purpose and become comfortable in their own skin. 

Lester was a varsity basketball coach for three years at Evergreen High School and is still actively involved in different areas of the school. Before being released, with the help of the Washington Innocence ProjectLester served nine years of a 24-year prison sentence.

While away from his children, loved ones, and friends, Lester became highly motivated to spread love, peace, and acceptance of others’ views as human beings. He became determined to share the newfound knowledge, wisdom, and understanding with those in his community. Lester is the Executive Director of, The Foundation WA, The foundation works within disenfranchised communities across Southwest Washington, restoring missing components while providing the fundamental necessities needed to create success for the often marginalized and neglected.

Donations help us cover costs required to request documents for investigation, visit clients in prison, obtain DNA testing, consult forensic experts and more. When you support Washington Innocence Project, you not only help free the innocent, you also help ensure that innocent people are not wrongfully convicted in the future.

Join Us, Washington Innocence Project by clicking below to donate. Thank you!

The Toll of Wrongful Conviction

Wrongful conviction is deeply traumatic for everyone involved. We provide social and emotional support and connect exonerees and freed clients to services and resources so they can get back on their feet and return to the lives they’ve been missing. We also help connect them with a community of freed and exonerated people who can provide a type of support and understanding that no one else can. Watch our video and hear directly from our exonerees and freed clients on the impact wrongful convictions have had on their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

 

Watch our video and hear directly from our exonerees and freed clients on the impact wrongful convictions have had on their lives and the lives of their loved ones. 

Wrongful Convictions by the numbers.

Yes, it’s very real and happening everyday.

16

Washington Innocence Project Exonerated Clients

4

Washington Innocence Project Freed Clients

52

innocent people fully exonerated in Washington State since 1989

276

years lost by Washington Innocence Project Freed and Exonerated Family to wrongful imprisonment in Washington State

7,000,000

cost to Washington taxpayers for wrongfully incarcerating Washington Innocence Project’s Freed and Exonerated Clients

15,700,0000

total savings to Washington taxpayers resulting from Washington Innocence Project Freed and Exonerated Clients’ release
Learn How This Happens

your support powers the truth.

We need your help to free the innocent men and women wrongly imprisoned today, and to help stop innocent people from being wrongfully convicted in the future.