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Join the Innocence Project of Florida and the South Florida Chamber Ensemble in recognizing the 7th Annual International Wrongful Conviction Day on October 2nd, 2020 with Between The Bars: Music & The Prison Experience.
In partnership for this occasion, we welcome you to join a virtual concert that will feature classical music performances paired with the stories of freed innocents from Florida. We will discuss the music, and speak with freed individuals about how art has impacted their lives.
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Myrna Meeroff, Executive Director and Founder of the SFCE will be our guide as we discuss the connection these chosen pieces have to the stories of freed people today. Kelleigh Helm, IPF Development Coordinator will host the evening as IPF and SFCE welcome friends old and new for an evening concert in the comfort of your home.
We hope you can join us for this one of a kind occasion to honor this day.
This event is free and open to the public.
If it is within your means, we encourage you to make a donation to help support our continued efforts to find and free the innocent in Florida, work to reform the criminal justice system, and help those who have been freed to transition back into society.
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The South Florida Chamber Ensemble is also a non-profit organization dedicated to improving lives through music. The vision of the ensemble is to use music as a catalyst for change with respect to education, social justice, economic equality, and health and healing. The SFCE is dedicated to promoting lesser-known composers, with a focus on American composers both living and deceased and to ensure that classical music is accessible to all by giving program notes from the stage that explain the intent behind the music, the life of the composer, and by explaining all musical terminology. Make a donation to support their work here.
Advocate for change
We want to encourage you to use this day of awareness to write to your legislators and help fix the broken system. This WCD you can help us advocate for important legislative initiatives in Florida.
IPF is continuing to advocate for two major initiatives this year, the first is to implement law that will require the recording of all custodial interrogations with law enforcement. The passing of a law mandating recording in these instances would benefit prosecutors and defense by providing transparency and accountability, and would protect citizens and law enforcement by ensuring proper procedures are followed.
The second is to amend the Victims of Wrongful Incarceration Compensation Act in Florida to get rid of the “clean hands” provision that does not allow wrongfully convicted individuals to receive compensation if they have more than one prior felony conviction. All people who are wrongfully imprisoned deserve to be compensated for the tremendous personal, social, and emotional costs of wrongful conviction for innocent people and their families.
We've laid out all of the steps to help us implement these changes. Now, we need your help. Find your legislators, write them a letter (or use our example), and advocate for change.