The Innocence Project, founded in 1992 by Peter Neufeld and Barry Scheck, uses DNA and other scientific advancements to prove innocence, and is committed to helping each person they represent rebuild their life post-release.
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The Innocence Project's mission is to free the staggering number of innocent people who remain incarcerated, and to bring reform to the system responsible for their unjust imprisonment.
Project Objective:
Project Objective:
Your objective is to research the case of one individual who has been wrongfully convicted of a crime. You must examine the individual’s background, the facts of the crime, the individual’s interaction with law enforcement, the evidence, the events of the trial, the conviction and the exoneration. Once your research is complete, you will write a series of journal entries from the perspective of the individual you researched, to help understand the legal process AND the human impact of wrongful convictions.
Project Requirements:
Project Requirements:
Part I: Using the "Innocence Project" website, select one wrongfully-convicted individual to research. You must complete this Research Organizer on the individual's background, details of the crime, evidence used at trial, the conviction, new evidence or errors in the case, the exoneration, and life after release from prison.
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Part II: After completing your research, create 5 journal entries from the perspective of the wrongfully-convicted individual. Each entry should be 1-2 paragraphs and be written in the first person ("I"). Use what you learned from your research to imagine the emotions and experiences the person may have felt during these moments:
Journal Entry 1: The Arrest
Confusion? Fear? Hopeful the mistake will be uncovered?
Journal Entry 2: The Trial
Hearing the evidence, watching the jury, feeling helpless?
Journal Entry 3: Life in Prison
Adjusting to prison? Fearful? Hopeful? Angry? Effect on relationships?
Journal Entry 4: New Hope
Getting a new lawyer, appeals, DNA testing, possibility of freedom
Journal Entry 5: Exoneration
The moment you hear not guilty, seeing family again, reflecting on lost time
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AI Component: You are permitted to use AI to help create your journal entries. AI should be treated as a writing assistant, not a replacement for your research or your original thoughts and creativity. Be sure to utilize thoughtful prompts, fact checking and revision.
Thoughtful Prompts: Your journal entries should include specific details and key facts of the case you researched. The tone and perspective should accurately capture the individual.
Example of a weak prompt: Write a journal entry by someone who was put in prison for a crime he didn't commit.
Example of a strong prompt: Write the first of 5 journal entries, from the perspective of Danny Davis, who was convicted of a 1992 murder of a 63-year-old woman in Cairo, Illinois, and was exonerated after DNA testing of fingernail scrapings from the victim excluded him. This first entry should talk about his arrest and the feelings he was experiencing during this confusing time.
The more information you provide, the better your results will be!
Use the above template to organize your 5 journal entries. Once your entries are complete, print out a copy to be added to your class's complete Innocence Project journal.
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