Innocence Project

Many of you may know that I have a regular Sunday night volunteer commitment with a meditation group at San Quentin prison here in the Bay Area. This has been a powerful eye opener for me in many ways – visibility into the criminal justice system, treatment of state prisoners, rehabilitation efforts, etc. – but mostly on how many men actually achieve redemption through a deep immersion into their lives and the forces that have borne on them. So I am particularly grateful to reference an organization that we have selected to receive a Dharma donation this year: the Innocence Project. The caring attorneys of this organization have worked on behalf of prisoners who have been incarcerated due to unfair trials, sloppy defense, biased judges, etc. and have been successful in exonerating many men and women, some that have been behind bars for over 20 years! In one case, two prisoners convicted of an assault/rape were found innocent via DNA and accurate sperm testing. Unfortunately though, after both men had passed away in prison. Reading these stories will bring tears to your eyes when recognizing the injustice and devastation committed against an unfortunate few. We hope you would consider supporting this group.

Please note: while Dharma was a Registered B Corp at the time of this posting, it no longer is.