Critic Reviews

Equally moving, informative, and infuriating, Netflix’s “The Innocence Files” is one of the best true crime series ever made. Going well beyond the typically sensational whodunit formula to paint a comprehensive portrait of our justice system's failures, it’s a must-see for anyone interested in how innocent people end up going to jail.

The Innocence Files is potent in that it shows how wrongful convictions not only destroy individual lives, but also have an impact on science, on what is taken seriously as a legitimate piece of evidence. In almost half of The Innocence Project’s cases, forensic science was misapplied or misused.

Helmed by a group of directors, The Innocence Files isn’t a consistent formal affair. ... It’s a series with its heart in the right place, and arguments that are worth hearing—and heeding—in the interest of creating a more just system for all.

The Innocence Files is the first true crime docuseries I’ve seen that doesn’t feel exploitative or sensationalized in any way. Rather than reveling in the gruesome details of a specific crime or glorifying a serial killer, it’s actually focused on the victims – both the victims of the initial crimes and the victims of the abuse and corruption rampant in the justice system that values securing a conviction over actually doing justice.

After you watch it, you’ll be more aware of just what can go wrong, even when people’s lives are on the line.