From [HERE] The groundbreaking discovery of DNA’s unique double-helix structure is celebrated annually on April 25, World DNA Day. 

DNA — or deoxyribonucleic acid — is in every cell of every living organism and contains the “blueprint” for building and maintaining living beings. And even though humans share 99.9% of their DNA with one another, the 0.1% of DNA that varies from person to person can tell us a lot about each individual, and can be used to help identify people who have committed crimes as well as exonerate wrongly convicted people.

The emergence of DNA technology, which has the ability to provide irrefutable proof of wrongful convictions, inspired Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld to co-found the Innocence Project in 1992. Since then, the organization has used DNA technology and litigation to help free and exonerate hundreds of innocent people.

Here are five crucial facts about DNA and wrongful conviction you should know:

 575 people have been exonerated based on DNA testing in the U.S.

According to the National Registry of Exonerations, 575 wrongly convicted people have been exonerated based on DNA tests that demonstrated their innocence since 1989. That includes 196 Innocence Project clients.

 DNA testing in one case can cost up to $50,000.

While genetic DNA tests like 23andMe are fairly affordable, the kinds of DNA tests used in criminal cases can be very costly. Testing in a single case can cost anywhere between $5,000 and $50,000. This is often because multiple types of DNA tests may need to be conducted on a single piece of evidence, several pieces of evidence may each need to be tested, or very specialized testing may be necessary.

 DNA testing has exonerated 35 people from death row.

Nearly three dozen people sentenced to death have been exonerated based on DNA evidence, according to the National Registry of Exonerations. That includes Kirk Bloodsworth, the first person to spend time on death row and be exonerated by DNA evidence in the U.S. Mr. Bloodsworth spent nearly nine years wrongly incarcerated and is the founder of Witness to Innocence. [MORE]