Kirk Bloodsworth

Kirk Bloodsworth spent eight years, ten months, and nineteen days in prison, two years on death row for a crime he did not commit.

While working in the prison library, Kirk read about a new breakthrough—DNA fingerprinting. In 1992, he lobbied successfully for its use on his case. The tests established Kirk’s innocence. He was released in June 1993 and fully pardoned in 1994. His was the first capital case to be exonerated by post-conviction DNA evidence.

Since his exoneration, Kirk has devoted himself to abolishing the death penalty and addressing wrongful convictions. He is a leader in the movement for criminal justice reform, and the mutual support and camaraderie of his fellow exonerees is the beating heart for his work. He was a member of Witness to Innocence since its inception and served in several board and staff roles including as Executive Director from 2018-2022. After teaching himself the art of silversmithing, Kirk created signature “exoneree” and “death row exoneree” 28g sterling silver rings, which he has gifted to more than 200 exonerees to date. He is a past board member of the Innocence Network.

Kirk’s compassion and determination has made an impact on the movement to abolish the death penalty. His advocacy alongside his fellow exonerated death row survivors was influential in eight of the nine states that have abolished the death penalty in the last 25 years, including his home state of Maryland, where his name was mentioned 64 times during the floor debate in the legislature. Kirk has testified before the United States Congress and numerous state legislatures, and he was featured on Oprah twice as well as on CNN’s Larry King Live. He has authored op-eds and given countless other media interviews. The Innocence Protection Act, aimed at reducing the risk of executing innocent people, established the Kirk Bloodsworth Post-Conviction DNA Testing Program to help states defray the costs of testing DNA evidence after conviction. Though the Act was signed into law in 2004, it took another four years of lobbying efforts to secure federal funding. Kirk fought to ensure that the program in his name was fully funded, and today it provides $10 million per year in federal grants.