Witness to Innocence Information

Witness to Innocence is the nation’s only organization composed of, by and for exonerated death row survivors and their loved ones. These individuals are actively engaged in the struggle to end the death penalty, challenging the American public to grapple with the problem of a fatally flawed criminal justice system that sends innocent people to death row. Members of Witness to Innocence bring a human face to the death penalty that no one else can. Through their compelling stories, they illuminate the unfairness and immorality of capital punishment – and in turn move citizens and public opinion more than any ordinary politician or activist can ever hope to do. Since its creation in 2005, Witness to Innocence has played an essential role in the anti-death penalty movement in the United States while educating hundreds of thousands of people across the country. Witness to Innocence was instrumental in the abolition of the death penalty in New Mexico in 2009 and in New Jersey in 2007. We also were a critical part of Wisconsin’s effective 2006 campaign to prevent the reinstatement of the death penalty. Witness to Innocence has organized hundreds of successful speaking events in communities throughout the United States and has reached millions of individuals through the media, highlighting the issue of wrongful convictions and the death penalty. We also have coordinated highly publicized speaking tours in Montana, Ohio, Nebraska, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. One of Witness to Innocence’s primary goals is to empower death row survivors and their loved ones to be effective leaders in the movement to abolish the death penalty. We also provide an essential network of peer support for these individuals as they respond to the challenges and opportunities of life after exoneration.