Innocence Project, Inc.

Geographic areas served: USA

Programs: Legal services (note includes legal, intake and social work): the innocence project uses dna testing to exonerate individuals who have been wrongfully convicted of crimes. A team of intake specialists review the roughly 2,500 requests for assistance we receive each year from individuals claiming innocence and determine whether dna testing might be able to prove innocence. Once we decide to take on a case, our attorneys, aided by clinic students from cardozo law school, search for remaining biological evidence and then seek the right to conduct testing in the courts. When the results prove our clients innocent, we seek their immediate release and help them transition back into society. In fiscal year 2015 we conducted testing for 39 clients and four individuals were fully exonerated. In each instance, our team of social workers worked to reunite the client with family and friends and provided around the clock assistance to help secure housing, any necessary medical or psychological treatment and support in finding employment. The innocence project represented 280 clients during the year ending june 30, 2015.

policy: the innocence project advocates for criminal justice system reform to prevent future wrongful convictions. Learning from the experiences of those who were exonerated by dna testing, we work with state law enforcement and policymakers to introduce practices that prevent wrongful convictions, including scientifically supported eyewitness identification procedures and the recording of interrogations. We also advocate for laws guaranteeing access to dna testing that could help prove innocence, for financial compensation for those who have been wrongfully convicted, and for enhanced accountability of prosecutors. We work with the federal government to support improvements in the research and validation of the forensic sciences. In the fiscal year ending june 30, 2015, the innocence project had eight legislative victories and achieved statewide voluntary compliance with eyewitness best practices in one additional state. Science and research: the dna exonerations have shown that the use of unvalidated forensic techniques contributes to wrongful convictions. The innocence project works with contract lobbyists to urge congress and the executive agencies of the federal government to create an infrastructure to stimulate research to validate the forensic science disciplines and to set standards for their usage. In the fiscal year ending june 30, 2015, the innocence project collaborated with the fbi and nacdl to review thousands of cases where defendants may have been convicted based on flawed testimony in hair cases.

strategic litigation: the innocence project's strategic litigation department works through the courts and the legal system to address the leading causes of wrongful conviction. Lawyers use multiple strategies to make judges, attorneys and policymakers aware of the inaccuracy of unvalidated forensic practices and the potential unreliability of eyewitness identifications. They file amicus briefs, consult with and support defense attorneys across the country representing individual clients and provide training to attorneys and judges. In the fiscal year ending june 30, 2015, staff trained more than 1,700 lawyers and had nine major court rulings.

other program services:communications: the innocence project believes that each dna exoneration is an opportunity to build public support for improving the criminal justice system. Its communication department works to ensure that each exoneration generates significant media attention in all types of media. It also works to insert the organization's voice in the national conversation about reforming the criminal justice system, placing stories and opinion pieces that further our public policy goals. It maintains a robust online and social media presence and seeks to engage and educate our many supporters through these channels. It publishes three annual print publications that highlight the organization's work and arranges for exonerees and staff to speak at universities, corporations and civic and religious organizations around the country. Network support: the organization's network support unit provides practical assistance to the innocence network, an affiliation of likeminded independent organizations around the country dedicated to providing pro bono legal services to individuals seeking to prove their innocence. Other program services - include communications and the network support unit.