'Professional exonerators' contributed to more than 60% of last year's exonerations
Ricky Davis holds up a shirt with the logo of the Northern California Innocence Project after his release from custody at the El Dorado County Jail in Placerville, California, on Feb. 13, 2020. Davis spent about 15 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of second degree murder. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Conviction integrity units and innocence organizations are contributing to an increasing number of exonerations over time, according to the National Registry of Exonerations. The two kinds of groups—“professional exonerators” that re-examine questionable convictions—played important roles in 61% of the 129 exonerations that occurred in 2020, according to the National Registry’s annual report.