In honor of Juneteenth, Here Are 5 Ways to Be a Better Ally in the Criminal Justice Reform

Juneteenth marks a seminal moment in American history. The celebration, which takes place on June 19, commemorates the emancipation of those who were enslaved in the U.S. While chattel slavery’s end is often tied to President Abraham Lincoln’s declaration of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, about 250,000 slaves in Texas didn’t learn of their freedom until June 19, 1865 — when Union General Gordon Granger arrived with an army to liberate them and announced that “[the] people of Texas are informed that, under a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” Since then, Juneteenth (short for June 19th) has become known as the country’s second independence day.
Liberation is core to the Innocence Project’s mission. In commemoration of Juneteenth, we offer five ideas for being a better ally in the struggle for racial justice and criminal justice reform, drawn from our five pillars of work: Exonerate, Improve, Reform, Support, and Educate.
Exonerate: The Innocence Project works to free and exonerate wrongfully convicted people and reform the systems leading to these injustices. Similarly, it’s important for allies to proactively break down systemic barriers that prevent vulnerable people from receiving fair and equal treatment by the country’s policing systems and criminal legal institutions. Racial disparities within our criminal justice systems — from the stark difference in the arrests of Black and white people to the disproportionate sentencing of Black and brown people — highlight the extent of the discrimination. Black men, for example, were 2.5 times more likely to be killed by police than white men, while American Indian women were between 1.1 times and 2.1 times more likely to be killed by police than white women. The injustice has also manifested in the treatment of Black and brown defendants in court. More concerningly, Black people are the most likely to be wrongfully convicted for crimes they didn’t commit, according to the National Registry of Exonerations. Addressing some of these issues begins with holding those in power accountable and ensuring that people pushing for fair and equitable criminal justice systems are in those positions of power. Moreover, voting for candidates committed to reform who are looking to fill local judiciary, prosecutor, or attorney general positions can help ensure that criminal legal systems are guided by those who better understand the law's impact on marginalized communities.
Improve: The Innocence Project works through legal systems to improve the law and its practice. Attorneys take various approaches to help establish legal precedent in areas prone to inaccuracies (such as unreliable forensic evidence and eyewitness testimony). Addressing these root causes of injustices is part of the organization’s larger endeavor to improve the systems for everyone, particularly those who are most vulnerable. In the fight to improve criminal justice systems on a broader scale, allies need first to understand that the perception and treatment of arrested individuals too often depend on how they look and where they come from. Being a powerful advocate for criminal justice reform involves learning about racial and class biases. Allies who want to improve criminal justice systems might start by strengthening their understanding of how racial discrimination, classism, and legal systems intersect in the U.S. and how they have, in turn, marginalized people.
Reform: The Innocence Project engages in policy work, collaborating with Congress, state legislatures, and local officials to pass laws and policies that limit wrongful convictions. The work touches on issues including—but not limited to—police deception, misapplication of forensic science, proper compensation for exonerees, and access to post-conviction DNA testing. Reforming these issues through large-scale advocacy guarantees that everyone—not just the organization’s clients—is afforded a degree of justice. Allies should consider broadening their allyship to help those outside their circle. Police murders of Black and brown people, for instance, have drawn attention to the lack of guidelines and laws that hold law enforcement accountable. In response, advocacy groups and local and state officials have worked together to revamp police practices. Pushing for national reform on issues like police and prosecutorial accountability—whether through petition signing, urging local officials to support a bill, or raising awareness through grassroots campaigns—benefits everyone.
Support: The Innocence Project fights for the exoneration of its clients. It supports exonerees who have spent many years behind bars and may struggle with rebuilding their lives upon their release. The organization’s social work department addresses exonerees’ needs individually, ranging from locating family numbers to finding housing. One of the Innocence Project’s major efforts involves mandating restitution to freed, innocent individuals for the time they spent imprisoned. Allies can be critical in supporting exonerees or organizations that provide the necessary resources to underserved populations. This support, which can take many forms, including fundraising or volunteer work, can go a long way toward making criminal justice systems more equitable.
Educate: The work of the Innocence Project’s data science and research team largely informs the organization’s reform efforts. The team not only pushes for a science-based evaluation of common forensic techniques and the inclusion of scientific evidence that may have been previously unavailable, but it also provides researchers and lawyers with resources on wrongful convictions. Education is also critical in allyship. Being an effective ally consists of taking action and proactively educating oneself. It is important to note that it is not the responsibility of those who have faced or are facing injustices in the criminal justice system to educate allies about their experiences—allies should recognize the power they have to undertake that education themselves.
Support from the Benevity community will be a significant lifeline for our freed clients, and we are committed to ending wrongful convictions and combatting factors that lead to wrongful convictions. Please note that all funds raised on Benevity will go directly to the Innocence Project’s general operating support to ensure our work in all our areas continues.