If the goals of the Innocence Movement are to identify innocent defendants and prevent future wrongful convictions, political dissidence must be considered as a separate cause. The reality is that defendants, known to actively oppose social injustice, are indicted, convicted, and given extremely asinine sentences for crimes based on lack luster evidence. The highlighted case studies confirm that factually innocent defendants are at risk of wrongful convictions because of their political affiliations. Political dissidence was a participatory factor prior to, during, and after their trials. Thus, political dissidence is comparable to informant testimony, exculpatory evidence, eyewitness testimony, prosecutorial misconduct, and other factors
