http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjAOw-n3CxQ

Can you imagine going to prison for a crime you did not commit? It happens.

Kirk Bloodworth’s incredible story of a man wrongfully convicted of a brutal rape and murder. A chilling aspect of his story is how he became a victim of circumstance. He’s not the only one.

I’m passionate about many issues, and I’m easily flared up when I learn about an injustice. I can’t even begin to imagine (but deeply sympathize) the traumas involved with going to prison as an innocent human being. I believe it’s an issue worth investigating and participating in some way.

The Innocence Project is an organization working to exonerate wrongfully convicted  individuals through DNA testing. Read about false confessions, and why some innocent defendants make them. I learned about this organization through the documentary After Innocence, stories of people who were set free after decades of being wrongfully imprisoned. Their stories are unbelievable. Live a normal life after being wrongfully convicted? Yeah right. However, some of the individuals have made it their plight to use all those years in prison for something good in the end. After all, how else could you ever justify that time?

Last year I posted an article about celebrating Christmas differently. Rather than consume and share gifts with people who have everything they need, why not make a donation towards an important cause? With all your heart and soul, consider what you really want to give for Christmas.

Don’t consume as much as the mainstream, or “accumulate because it feels safe to do so.” Be a part of something important and help make a difference. Help justify the accumulative hundreds of years innocent individuals have spent behind bars.