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​Netflix's New True Crime Series The Innocence Files Has Dropped

​Netflix's New True Crime Series The Innocence Files Has Dropped

The show shines a light on the untold personal stories behind eight cases of wrongful conviction

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

Netflix has released a brand new crime series all about wrongful convictions, called The Innocence Files, and guess what? It's available for you to watch now.

The show delves into one of the most fascinating facets of true crime, exploring the 'miscarriages of justice' that take place when people are wrongfully convicted of a crime they didn't commit.

The nine-part documentary focuses on eight cases of wrongful conviction, looking at the cases of Chester Hollman III, Kenneth Wyniemko, Alfred Dewayne Brown, Thomas Haynesworth, Franky Carrillo, Levon Brooks, Kennedy Brewer and Keith Harward.

Netflix

One man in the series, Levon Brooks, was sentenced for life in prison for sexually assaulting and murdering a three-year-old girl. Even though Brooks had a strong alibi, he was sentenced based on bite marks that appeared to match his teeth - only for a similar assault and murder to take place in the same town soon after his conviction.

One part of the docu-series also follows the story Thomas Haynesworth, who was wrongfully convicted of rape, robbery and abduction in the 1980s, while another looks at how Alfred Dewayne Brown was sentenced to death following an armed robbery in which two men were killed.

Hoping to shine a light on how a wrongful conviction can cause irreparable damage to the defendant, the victims and their respective families, The Innocent Project also details the tireless work carried out by non-profit organisations in a bid to overturn verdicts on each case.

Netflix

Peter Neufeld and Barry Scheck, co-founders of non-profit organisation The Innocence Project, said: "We are thrilled to be part of the groundbreaking Netflix series, The Innocence Files.

"This is truly important television. Each episode reveals - step by step - how the American criminal justice system gets it wrong. These stories feature people whose freedom was stolen because of governments' reliance on junk science, discredited and suggestive eyewitness identification procedures, and prosecutors who engage in misconduct to win at any cost.

"We hope these stories motivate people to take action. There are tried and tested reforms that will improve the system to make it more fair and just. Countless innocent people endure unspeakable suffering in maximum security prisons and death row for crimes they didn't commit.

"These miscarriages of justice extend a circle of pain and trauma that embraces families, communities, and even victims of crime. We must do better."

Watch The Innocence Files on Netflix now.

Featured Image Credit: Netflix

Topics: Entertainment, TV and Film, True Crime, Netflix