How to Help the Wrongfully Convicted
- Volunteer for organizations working for the wrongfully convicted
- Financially support organizations fighting for wrongfully convicted
- Correspond with a wrongfully convicted person
- Promote the cause of wrongfully convicted on social media
- Help raise money for a defense fund
Across the United States, thousands of people have been wrongfully convicted. These individuals languish in lockups from coast-to-coast, including on death row. A person concerned with the plight of wrongfully convicted people need not merely sit on the sidelines. There are some specific undertakings a person can pursue to help the wrongfully convicted.
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1. Volunteer for Organizations Working for the Wrongfully Convicted
A way in which a person can help the wrongfully convicted is to volunteer for an organization that advocates for them. There are different organizations across the United States that work for the wrongfully convicted. Many of these organizations rely heavily on the assistance of volunteers working in a variety of different capacities.
2. Financially Support Organizations Fighting for the Wrongfully Convicted
A person with some expendable funds can help the wrongfully convicted by making a financial contribution to an organization advocating for the wrongfully convicted. A prime example of such an organization is the
3. Correspond with Wrongfully Convicted Person
A simple step a person can take to help a wrongfully convicted person is to correspond with that individual. In this day and age, a correctional institution may offer multiple ways to communicate with an incarcerated individual. These include writing a traditional letter mailed via the Unites Postal Service. In addition, a growing number of institutions offer a type of email system through which “people on the outside” can write to an inmate. Finally, inmate phone calls are also a possibility.
4. Promote Cause of Wrongfully Convicted on Social Media
Social media continues to prove very important for promoting the causes of women and men who’ve been wrongfully convicted. Sometimes celebrities have jumped on the bandwagon and drawn attention to a particularly wrongfully convicted person by taking advantage of social media. The reality is that a person doesn’t need to have tens of thousands of followers to use social media to garner support for the wrongfully convicted. Progress can be made when one individual educates his or her own circle of friends and family on social media.
5. Help Raise Money for a Defense Fund
Finally, in many cases involving a wrongfully convicted person, a legal defense fund has been established. Even if a person doesn’t have ready cash of his or her own, an individual can assist by helping to raise money for such a fund. A moment ago, information was presented about helping by promoting the cause of wrongfully convicted via social media. A person may be able to assist in raising money for a defense fund by reaching out to social media connections.
The U.S. criminal justice system is structured in such a way that a considerable number of people plea in criminal cases even when they do not feel they are guilty. The criminal justice system even has a mechanism known as an Alford Plea through which a person pleads guilty but does not actually admit guilt, according to the New York Times. As a consequence, until the foundational elements of the U.S. criminal justice system markedly change, a notable number of people will continue to be wrongfully convicted.
