SAVE THE DATE 10th Anniversary
Gala Celebration Tuesday,
October 8, 2013
More info to come soon.
Juan Melendez is on-target in the Huffington Post on Florida's Timely Justice Act. (5/16/13) Read more here.
Herman Lindsey and Seth Penalver featured on CNN leading the fight in Florida against Timely Justice Act. (5/15/13) Read more here.
WTI Executive Director David Love in The Nation on how our exoneree members are ending the death penalty. (5/13/13) Read more here.
Witness to Innocence formally launches its Philadelphia Moratorium Campaign and is covered by local media! (5/4/13) Read more here.
Witness to Innocence has officially launched its Philadelphia Moratorium Campaign to end the death penalty in our very own City of Brotherly Love. (5/4/13) Read more here.
Congratulations to Kirk Bloodsworth, Shujaa Graham, and all our partners for the great victory in Maryland! Listen to Kirk's take on the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. (5/2/13) Watch video here.
Make sure to tune into the Sundance Channel to watch Rectify. Witness to Innocence served as a consultant for this critically-acclaimed, riveting miniseries about a man released from death row because of DNA. (4/22/13) Read more here.
Randy Steidl in The Illinois Times on the success of his multimillion dollar lawsuit against those who framed him. (4/4/13) Read more here.
Kirk Bloodsworth had an encore appearance on MSNBC on the Melissa Harris-Perry Show. (3/24/13) Watch video here.
YES WE DID! David Love and Kirk Bloodsworth (great pic!) quoted in Los Angeles Times on repeal victory in Maryland. (3/15/13) Read more here.
Listen to NPR's Margot Adler on Witness to Innocence on "All Things Considered". (3/10/13) Read more here.
Greg Wilhoit and Juan Melendez on a WTI Tour of Oregon; great slide show! (3/8/13) Read more here.
Agence France-Presse on Kirk Bloodsworth and Witness to Innocence as repeal in Maryland nears. (3/7/13) Read more here.
WTI Advocacy Director Kirk Bloodsworth kicked it back with Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central. (3/4/13) Read more here.
The Irish Times features Witness to Innocence and Kirk Bloodsworth. (2/26/13) Read more here.
Shujaa Graham featured in Spanish-speaking media around the world because of his interview with EFE News Wire. (2/22/13) Read more here.
WTI Director of Membership and Training Ray Krone on HuffPost Live on Arkansas and death penalty. (2/13/13) Read more here.
WTI Advocacy Director Kirk Bloodsworth on MSNBC talking about Maryland repeal. (2/7/13) Read more here.
The New York Times features WTI Advocacy Director Kirk Bloodsworth's repeal work in Maryland. (2/6/13) Read more here.
WTI Executive Director David Love's latest opus in The Huffington Post. (1/30/13) Read more here.
"In March, when the legislature voted to repeal our state’s death penalty, I was given only three days to make what I knew was going to be one of the most difficult decisions of my career....I’ll never forget the story of Juan Melendez who spent 18 years on Florida’s death row before being exonerated for a murder he didn’t commit and who now calls New Mexico home....The fact is people continue to commit terrible crimes even in the face of the death penalty. And what no one can disagree on is the finality of the death penalty. No one understood that better than Juan Melendez and the 130 others like him who got a reprieve from death through exoneration. Ultimately my decision came down to the realization that our system is not perfect and is, in fact, inherently defective as these exonerations prove."
– Excerpt from (former) New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's speech at Death Penalty Focus Awards Dinner, May 2009
Witness to Innocence
Our Mission
Witness to Innocence is the nation’s only organization composed of, by, and for exonerated death row survivors and their loved ones. Through public education, direct action, and legislative and media work, our members challenge the American public to grapple with the problem of a fatally flawed criminal justice system that sends innocent people to death row. We also campaign for federal compensation for the exonerated.
Our History
Founded in 2003 by Sister Helen Prejean, internationally renowned anti-death penalty activist, and Ray Krone, the 100th person exonerated from death row in the United States, Witness to Innocence (WTI) began as a project of the New Orleans-based Moratorium Campaign Education Fund. Two years later WTI moved to Philadelphia, PA, where the organization transformed itself into one of the most powerful and unique anti-death penalty organizations in the United States.
Our exoneree members have educated tens of thousands of Americans through speaking events at colleges, universities, professional associations, academic conferences, law schools, faith communities, K-12 schools, and civic groups. They have testified before state legislatures, met with government officials and world leaders, and reached tens of millions of people worldwide through the media. Witness to Innocence has shifted public opinion on the death penalty, playing an integral role in successful repeal campaigns in New Mexico, New Jersey, Illinois, and Maryland.
Our Vision
A country that joins 140 other nations in abolishing the death penalty. A country that grants fair and speedy compensation to the wrongfully convicted. A country that puts “justice” back into the criminal justice system.
This video of Ray Krone, director of membership and training at Witness to Innocence, is courtesy of Atlantic Philanthropies, one of our generous funders:
We want to thank our funders for their generous support. We couldn't do it without them!
We are proud members of:
To learn more about our funders and membership organizations, browse our Links & Resources page here.
Witness to Innocence wants to thank the following people and organizations for so many of the awesome videos, photos, and artwork on our website: Ashely Shelton, Sofia Moro, Brian Bullock, George Gull, Marc Steinberg, Resurrection After Exoneration, Daniel Bolick, Scott Langley, Maria Telesco, David Sulewski, Talila Lewis – please let us know if we have left you out!
