DNA Testing and Exoneration

One of the most powerful, defining ideals of the American legal system is the phrase, “Innocent until proven guilty.” It is indeed hard to imagine a time in which such a thought was considered bold and revolutionary - today, we take it for granted that punishment of an individual for a crime he or she did not commit is possibly the most grievous infringement upon his or her natural rights a government can condone.

Sadly, as much as we may profess this belief as self-evident, every year, an untold number of people are wrongfully incarcerated across the nation, convicted on flimsy evidence or by a biased jury. The advent of DNA testing in recent years - by and large the most reliable means available of establishing or ruling out guilt- has already cleared the names and freed the lives of hundred of innocent men and women.

Consider the case of the Dallas man who was in prison for 25 years for a string of crimes he did not commit, before being exonerated, or the man who was cleared of wrongdoing in a rape case - ten years after he died in prison.

Unfortunately, despite the incredible accuracy and strength of these findings, prosecutors and other state officials are resisting and even fighting the attempt to ease the appeals process for the of hundreds of prisoners coming forward with hopes of freedom.

Contact Us

If you have been wrongly convicted of a serious crime, you own it to yourself to fight this decision as much as you can. Contact the Chicago personal injury attorneys of Friedman & Bonebrake, P.C. today by calling 312-466-8200 for helpful information on your particular case.