October 10th, 2014
The New England Innocence Project is proud to sponsor our friend and colleague, Lisa Kavanaugh, as she runs the 2014 New York City Marathon in our first ever Running for Innocence campaign!
According to the National Registry of exonerations, there have been over 1,300 inmates exonerated in the past 25 years. In 2014 alone, over 80 inmates were exonerated of their crimes in the US. Even more shocking, is the estimation that over 4% of death row inmates are innocent of the crimes they are convicted of. The New England Innocence Project, and organizations across the country are working towards awareness on the issue, and helping to litigate the cases of those who have been wrongfully convicted. Conservative estimates are that 2.5% of all convictions are of people who are factually innocent – they did not commit the crime that has lead to their conviction, and yet they are incarcerated because of faulty evidence or a lack of modern scientific advancements. As director of the innocence program at the Committee for Public Counsel Services, Lisa has committed her career to finding justice for clients who could not afford legal representation, and clients who are not guilty of the crimes for which they have been convicted. But proving innocence is both time-intensive and costly. As of now, there are not funds available to pay for the initial investigation, evidence gathering and hiring of specialists and experts in scientific and technical fields necessary to get the nearly 50 cases we are litigating into court, and to fight to ensure that these innocent people are freed.
Lisa has chosen to run the New York City Marathon to help promote awareness of the issue of wrongful convictions. With her efforts, we hope to raise the money necessary to investigate these cases, pay for scientific testing and experts, and exonerate the nearly 50 men and women in New England that the New England Innocence Project is currently fighting for. You, together with Lisa and NEIP, can make a difference, by helping us gain access to the tools that will help us determine innocence and free the wrongfully convicted.
We sincerely appreciate donations and contributions of all types and sizes. We would like to thank our contributors who give over $25 by offering a NEIP wristband or a hand-written thank you note from Lisa and NEIP Executive Director Denise McWilliams on a card with artwork designed by an inmate. We will also offer a Running for Innocence athletic performance shirt as a thank you for donors who contribute $100 or more. Your contribution will be vital in assisting our mission that no one be left in prison for a crime they did not commit.
Please support Lisa in her efforts by raising awareness, and donating to our IndieGoGo campaign page at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/running-for-innocence You can also email us at rfi@newenglandinnocence.org to learn more about Running for Innocence and our mission!