Learning from Injustice

A recent editorial in the Washington Post

examines two high-profile exonerations and asserts that Donald Gates and James Bain aren't alone. Gates served 27 years in prison for a 1981 murder in Washington, D.C., that DNA now proves he didn't commit. James Bain served 35 years in Florida prisons, more than any other exoneree in American history, before DNA set him free on December 17.

"As appalling as the two cases are, what's even scarier is the thought that imperfections in the criminal justice system will go uncorrected and more people could be wrongly jailed,,"

the Washington Post editorial says

.

This is why the Innocence Project works to address the root causes of wrongful convictions. For every person freed through DNA testing, countless others remain behind bars without the evidence needed to prove their innocence.

Donald Gates was convicted in 1981 based on improper forensic testimony, and in 2010 we still haven't addressed the lack of consistent forensic standards and oversight in this country. Learn more about the need for federal forensic reform and take action today at

the Just Science Coalition website

.