No deprivation of liberty is more total than what can be imposed by the criminal justice system. No power can be more arbitrary and unjust than destroying innocent lives on the basis of false convictions, whether obtained through malice, negligence, or lack of due process.

Since 1992, the Innocence Project has fought to exonerate the wrongfully convicted and implement reforms designed to reduce the number of wrongful convictions and impose accountability on a system that regularly produces them. Since then, the Innocence Project has freed 232 people who were falsely convicted and collectively spent 3,555 years behind bars for crimes that they did not commit.

The injustice of wrongful convictions is profound, and the Innocence Project’s cases involve heart‐​wrenching tales of tragedy and lives forever changed.

In recognition and gratitude for its work to ensure liberty and justice for all, The Cato Institute is pleased to award the 2021 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty to the Innocence Project.

Learn more and join the conversation with #FriedmanPrize