Wendt Law Firm, P.C. Sponsors Midwest Innocence Project Gala

Not every convicted criminal is guilty.

However, it is imperative that every person not only receives a fair trial, but that the victims of the crime receive justice.

Justice is not jailing innocent people for crimes they did not commit. Instead, it is ensuring that the correct person serves time for the crime — and ensuring that those who are innocent are set free.

That is why Wendt Law Firm, P.C. is  proud to support the Midwest Innocence Project’s Faces of Innocence Gala for 2017.

The event on May 4th, 2017 is in downtown Kansas City and benefits the Midwest Innocence Project. Auctions, sponsors, and raffle tickets will help raise funding for the Innocence Project, and will potentially defend the rights of those who have been wrongly convicted by our justice system.

What Is the Midwest Innocence Project?

The Midwest Innocence Project (MIP), is a non-profit organization devoted to ensuring innocent victims imprisoned for crimes they did not commit receive justice.

Estimates indicate that 10,000 people in the United States might be wrongly convicted of major crimes each year. Some of these innocent individuals serve a few years, while others can spend as high as 30 or more years in prison for a crime they did not commit.

In 2015 alone, there was a record number of inmates exonerated for crimes they did not commit, thanks to advancements in DNA technology. Out of those exonerated, those men and women served an average of 14.5 years in prison before eventually being released. Some were as young as 18 years when they were convicted. In total, 2015 witnessed 149 exonerations in 29 states.

Sadly, 58 of those cases were for homicides. Therefore, the actual individuals guilty of these crimes might be out there, meaning the victim’s family was robbed of justice.

Dedicated to Defense

Those wrongly convicted in the United States should not spend half of their lives in jail and victims and their families should sleep at night knowing that the right person is in prison for the crime.

Exonerations can be  costly for the taxpayers, the state, and the individual wrongfully convicted of a crime. Some lose out on opportunities for careers and finishing their education. Others miss half of their children’s lives — with some never meeting their children while they are in prison.

At Wendt Law Firm, P.C., we proudly support the Midwest Innocence Project because we are committed to the community and the defense of those wrongly accused or wrongly convicted.

While the justice system is not perfect, we feel individuals like those at the MIP serve a purpose and provide balance where the justice system cannot.

Join us this year in attending the Faces of Innocence Gala in Downtown Kansas City on May 4th. For more information, visit the Midwest Innocence Project page for the event.