Congress Must Fund Innocence Programs
Federal funding cuts are hitting organizations and non-profits on the state and local levels. One of the latest is Great North Innocence Project, a regional offshoot based in Minnesota of the larger Innocence Project, a non-profit works to free wrongfully convicted people. It relies on donations and grants to fund the mission. Recently Executive Director Sara Jones learned their 3-year $600,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice was cut. Jones estimates the grant accounts for 15% of their annual budget. The money, she says, funds a third of their legal staff.
"It was shocking and really upsetting to us. I mean, we had plans for the next three years to really take what we already have and enhance the work that we do," Jones said. "It means that justice will be delayed. We already have a long line of applicants who are waiting for us to assess their cases, do deep dive investigations, which sometimes take years to complete. So it's going to take longer to be able to address that, and it will set us back in terms of our goals."
The Great North Innocence Project freed 13 people in it's 24-year history, and eight people since 2020. Among those is Marvin Haynes, released in 2023 after spending 20 years behind bars for a Minneapolis murder he didn't commit. The Great North Innocence Project says two to three hundred people write each year asking the non-profit to take their case.
Innocence programs play a crucial role in preventing and correcting wrongful convictions, enhancing the accuracy and fairness of the criminal justice system, and providing support to those who have been wrongly incarcerated. These programs not only help free the wrongly convicted, but also work to prevent future injustices through policy changes and forensic science advancements.
The Innocence Project is encouraging supporters to reach out to their elected representatives and urge them to robustly fund and protect Federal innocence and forensic science programs in Fiscal Year 2026 spending bills.
Visit this page to reach out to your electeds and urge them to protect these funds --->>> Contact Congress to Support Federal Funding for Innocence Programs
