The Innocence Project

Thanks to The Innocence Project for being the first organization to officially permit us to use their logo on our website!
If you are not familiar with the Innocence Project you really should check them out. Both of my parents are attorneys who have been both criminal defense attorneys, and worked in the District Attorney's office, and I practically grew up in the courthouse. For the most part, those involved in the justice system are good people trying to do the right thing because they genuinely believe in upholding and protecting a just society.
That being said, the justice system can at times be unbelievably corrupt and the deck is definitely stacked against the poor when it comes to legal representation. For example, according the Innocence Project's website:
"A review of convictions overturned by DNA testing reveals a trail of sleeping, drunk, incompetent and overburdened defense attorneys, at the trial level and on appeal. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. Innocent defendants are convicted or plead guilty in this country with less than adequate defense representation. In the some of the worst cases, lawyers have:

-slept in the courtroom during trial
-been disbarred shortly after finishing a death penalty case
-failed to investigate alibis
-failed to call or consult experts on forensic issues
-failed to show up for hearings"

The Innocence Project is currently fighting not only to overturn wrongful convictions with previously unavailable or excluded DNA evidence, but also to fix the parts of our justice system that are deeply in need of repair. We look forward to working with them in this crusade.

Welcome!

Welcome to Giving by Design! We are a community of artists dedicated to making a difference through our work. Our website will officially launch in the Spring of 2008. The mission is twofold, 1) Provide a venue for emerging artists to display their work and earn revenue, and 2) Provide donations to our partner organizations through the sale of work displayed on the site. Until then, this blog will chronicle our development, serve as a hub for submissions, and detail any relevant issues or upcoming events. For more information, or for details about submitting your artwork, e-mail us at info@givingbydesign.com.Please check back often to make a difference through design!