CAL-FIJA LAUNCHES PROJECT “Free The Innocent”


CALFIJA.ORG

California ranks among the top five in states with the highest numbers of incarcerated prisoners who were wrongfully convicted, according to the National Registry of Exonerations, and subsequently exonerated.

According the National Registry of Exonerations, since 1989 there have been 241 exonerations of wrongfully convicted victims in California . The states of Texas, Illinois, and New York make up other states where exonerations are at or well above these high levels. Estimates of the wrongfully convicted range between a low of 2% to as high as 15% of the current U.S. prison population, and estimates in some states could be higher according to National Registry of Exonerations .

CAL-FIJA Launches Project “Free The Innocent”

Today, CAL-FIJA announced the launch of one of its priority projects in California. Project “Free The Innocent”. Spokesman and State Director, James Harnsberger stated, “Our nation, our state and every community suffers from a growing epidemic of distrust and frustration with the criminal justice system. A large part of that distrust comes directly from the growing numbers of wrongful convictions of innocent men and women who were serving prison terms for a crime they did not commit .”

Project “Free The Innocent” (FTI) is a multi-tiered public awareness and outreach program aimed at educating every citizen in California of the tragedy of wrongful convictions. It also is a platform for engagement in public speaking opportunities, fund raising efforts for organizations that are defending wrongfully convicted victims such as the California Innocence Project of a failed criminal justice system.

In addition to these efforts, Project “Free The Innocent” will serve as CAL-FIJA’s primary banner as it begins organizational efforts in California to establish Chapters within each county statewide.

Mr. Harnsberger went on to add, “Our mission is focused on the problem of wrongful convictions and the engagement of the public at-large to right every wrong produced from a failed criminal justice system and serve as a model for activists nationwide.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

CAL-FIJA

James Harnsberger, State Director

http://www.CALFIJA.Org

Info@CALFIJA.org

(619) 592-2708

ENDNOTES – References Cited

http://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/Exonerations-in-the-United-States-Map.aspx

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/Counting-Exonerations.aspx

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/about.aspx

https://californiainnocenceproject.org/

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