Here’s How ‘The Innocence Files’ Connects to The Innocence Project

It seems fitting that the streaming service that first introduced many viewers to The Innocence Project is doubling down on this worthy cause. This week marks the premiere of the nine-episode The Innocence Files, a docuseries all about people who have been wrongfully imprisoned. And if you love true crime and deep dives into our corrupt legal system then this new series needs to be your next binge watch.

According to the group, between 2.3% and 5% of all inmates have been wrongfully imprisoned. The Innocence Project was first founded in 1992 by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld. The nonprofit legal organization is dedicated to re-examining old cases in which convicted felons claim they are innocent. In certain cases where it appears that they’re correct, the organization then tests DNA evidence in an attempt to overturn the sentences of wrongly convicted people and, in effect, reform the justice system. The Innocence Project has been responsible for 189 exonerations as of November of 2019.

Though the organization has been around for decades, most average people didn’t know about its existence until 2014. That’s when NPR released its viral true crime podcast Serial and it was revealed that The Innocence Project was looking into Adnan Syed’s case. The organization got another true crime bump in 2015 thanks to the premiere of Netflix’s viral docuseries Making a Murderer. After he served 18 years in prison, The Innocence Project helped exonerate Steven Avery and freed him after his first conviction. Avery’s current lawyer for his second conviction, Kathleen Zellner, is currently the director of the Midwest Innocence Project.

So how does Netflix’s newest docuseries connect to this organization? Over the course of nine episodes and several cases, The Innocence Files reveals the biggest pitfalls when it comes to wrongful imprisonment in our legal system. From questioning the validity of bite mark analysis and eye witness testimonies to showing how common it is for authorities to lock onto a singular suspect, The Innocence Files highlights what’s wrong with our legal system. But despite its dark subject material and the jarring rape and murder cases it covers, there is hope in this docuseries.

Each episode revolves around a different wrongfully imprisoned person who was released partially thanks to the hard work of The Innocence Project. Watching these men recount the years they’ve lost to the mistakes of our justice system is haunting. But seeing those mistakes being remedied, even in a way that feels hollow compared to the unjust horrors they’ve endured, whispers a promise. The United States judicial system has made a countless number of mistakes, but it is getting better. Netflix’s new docuseries will introduce you to the men and women trying to make that change, one devastating case at a time.

Watch The Innocence Files on Netflix