Innocent people have languished in our prisons for years, some of them on death row. This is a horrible blot on our nation’s justice system. Since 1989, DNA has been used to exonerate more than 233 innocent prisoners in the United States. At least 123 of them had received death sentences before they were proven innocent.

Obviously, all human institutions are flawed; perfection is unattainable. Reasonable procedural safeguards, however, would substantially reduce these erroneous convictions, and the Church has an obligation to press for those reforms. Imprisoning innocent people is offensive to God. “Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—the Lord detests them both” (Proverbs 17:15).

An honorably discharged Air Force veteran, Ray Krone had no prior criminal record. Yet in 1991 he was charged with the murder, kidnapping, and sexual assault of a woman who was his friend. Although he consistently claimed his innocence, a jury convicted and sentenced him to death. Ray spent 10 years in prison before his DNA was tested and confirmed his innocence. Another DNA test identified the real murderer.

I had the great fortune to get to know Ray while we both served on the Vera Institute’s Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons. Gentle and kind, he harbors no bitterness despite the terrible injustice he endured. For over a decade the police did not pursue the real murderer because they mistakenly believed that they “had their man” behind bars. Had Ray not been allowed to have scientists test the DNA, or if the perpetrator’s DNA not been preserved, or if there had been no DNA to test, Ray would never have been released, and the man who was the real danger to society would never have been apprehended.

How many more innocent people like Ray suffer in our prisons today? What can we do to gain their release? And what should we do to make sure no one else is falsely imprisoned? Studies of the mistakes made in the exonerated cases have revealed several recurring factors: mistaken identifications by eyewitnesses, coerced false confessions, testimony by jailhouse informants who lie in return for money or a reduced sentence, error-prone police labs, and prosecutorial and defense misconduct and incompetence.

These issues clearly require reform to end these injustices.

Many respectable criminal justice leaders champion the effort for reform. For instance, in California John van de Kamp, a former U. S. Attorney for Central California, District Attorney in L.A., and California’s Attorney General, led the Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice. The Commission, a broad, bi-partisan panel of experts that dealt with each of the issues identified above, offered excellent recommendations for reform. Justice Fellowship supported a legislative package that incorporated many of these policy changes that would address these glaring problems without undermining public safety. Unfortunately, Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed the bills.

I recently met with Barry Scheck and his team at the Innocence Project to discuss their wonderful work, and to explore ways Prison Fellowship can help their efforts to enact reforms. John Kaneb, a very successful businessman who serves with me on the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, arranged the meeting. John’s faith motivates him to tackle society’s most vexing problems and to use his business acumen to help those whom Jesus called “the least of these, my brothers and sisters.” Along with other ideas, we discussed the possibility of creating a commission similar to the Prison Rape Commission to establish standards to prevent future convictions of innocent people.

A movement is definitely underway across the country to address the horrid injustice of convicting innocent people. We have prepared a list of the common mistakes that lead to erroneous convictions, along with suggested remedies. We have also compiled a list of organizations that are working to address these issues. For further information about policy reform, visit Justice Fellowship’s website and subscribe to our Justice eReport.

Please use these resources to learn more about how we can protect the innocent and become active in the effort to enact change. Perhaps you could bring this topic up with your Bible study or with your local legislators. The Church needs to engage the community on this issue. We cannot allow innocent people to be locked in prison. “Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty” (Exodus 23:7).

Organizations Focusing on Protecting the Innocent:

The Innocence Project
Keeps innocent people out of prison and free from punishment by supporting extensive DNA usage and reform of the ways in which suspects are treated.

Innocent Inmates Association of Ohio
Works for the rights of incarcerated men and women who are innocent yet being punished.

The Innocence Network
Lists organizations and agencies across the country that provide legal assistance to innocent people affected by the criminal justice system.

Truth in Justice
Educates the public regarding the vulnerabilities in the U.S. criminal justice system that make the criminal conviction of wholly innocent persons possible.

Death Penalty Information Center
Shares stories and information about wrongful capital punishment convictions.

Life After Exoneration Program
Addresses the injustice of wrongful convictions by assisting exonerees and their family members in rebuilding their lives on the outside.

Innocent in Prison Project International
Provides a forum for possibly innocent prisoners, their families, friends, human-rights activists, and death-penalty abolitionists to share news and information.

The Justice Project
Works to increase fairness and accuracy in the criminal justice system.

President's DNA Initiative
Offers numerous publications and research information on DNA testing in the sphere of criminal justice.

Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice