Anaya Nolan
The Innocence Project is a national litigation and public policy organization that seeks to exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals through DNA testing and other scientific advancements. The Innocence Project and NYU School of Law have a partnership that includes a post-conviction litigation clinic, where NYU Law students work directly with the Innocence Project’s post-conviction litigation attorneys on cases with strong claims of innocence. The Innocence Project offers highly competitive compensation and benefits to its employees, and it is guided by science and grounded in anti-racism. The Wisconsin Innocence Project, or WIP, also seeks to exonerate the innocent and has received multi-million-dollar grants from federal agencies. The Ohio Innocence Project at Cincinnati Law selects a team of 20-25 law students each year to serve as Fellows in either OIP’s legal clinic or in OIP’s policy, legislation, and engagement division. These various Innocence Projects work to free innocent people who have been wrongfully convicted, and they also provide opportunities for law students to gain experience in the field.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Goal | To free innocent people who have been wrongfully convicted of a crime |
| Work | Address the leading causes of wrongful conviction, establish legal precedent, and exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals through DNA testing and other scientific advancements |
| Clients | Innocence Project clients have collectively spent more than 3,700 years wrongfully incarcerated |
| Partnership | The Innocence Project has a partnership with NYU School of Law that includes a post-conviction litigation clinic where NYU Law students work directly with the Innocence Project’s post-conviction litigation attorneys |
| Staff | The Innocence Project has a diverse staff, with a strong sense of community and a deep connection to their mission and work |
| Funding | The Innocence Project provides all legal representation for free. It is funded through donations, which are tax-deductible. It also receives grants from federal agencies. |
| Volunteering | The Innocence Project does not accept volunteers due to legal and ethical standards, but it offers internships to college students in its legal clinic and policy, legislation, and engagement teams |
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What You'll Learn
Innocence Project's work with law schools
The Innocence Project is a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals through DNA testing and other scientific advancements. The organization works through the courts to address the leading causes of wrongful conviction and establish legal precedent in areas where unvalidated forensic science can be unjustly used to convict innocent people.
The Innocence Project and NYU School of Law have a partnership that includes a post-conviction litigation clinic, where NYU Law students work directly with the Innocence Project’s post-conviction litigation attorneys on cases with strong claims of innocence. Similarly, the Loyola Project for the Innocent (LPI) is a wrongful conviction clinic that serves Los Angeles County, where students passionate about criminal law can help innocent people get out of jail. The University of Virginia School of Law also has an Innocence Project, where students work in teams of 3-4 to investigate and litigate the cases that are accepted.
The Innocence Project offers highly competitive compensation and benefits to its employees. The organization's work is guided by science and grounded in anti-racism, with a strong focus on addressing how racial bias contributes to the wrongful incarceration of people of color. The Innocence Project has a diverse staff, with 60% of its members identifying as people of color, and offers many opportunities for its employees to connect and foster a sense of community.
In addition to the Innocence Project organizations mentioned above, there are several other Innocence Projects affiliated with law schools across the United States. These include the Arizona Innocence Project at Northern Arizona University, the California Innocence Project at California Western School of Law, the Connecticut Innocence Project, the Georgia Innocence Project, the Hawai'i Innocence Project, the Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis Clinic, the Miami Law Innocence Clinic, the Mississippi Innocence Project at the University of Mississippi School of Law, the Montana Innocence Project, the Nebraska Innocence Project, the New England Innocence Project, the New Orleans Innocence Project, the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, and the UVA School of Law Innocence Project.
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Innocence Project's work with the courts
The Innocence Project is a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating individuals wrongfully convicted through DNA testing and other scientific advancements. It originated in New York City but accepts cases from other parts of the country. The Innocence Project is the headquarters of the Innocence Network, a group of nearly 70 independent innocence organizations worldwide.
The Innocence Project works through the courts to address the leading causes of wrongful conviction and establish legal precedent in areas where unvalidated forensic science can be unjustly used to convict innocent people. It also works with local, state, and federal law enforcement, legislators, and other programs to prevent further wrongful convictions. The Innocence Project has successfully overturned more than 300 convictions through DNA-based exonerations.
The Innocence Project and NYU School of Law have a partnership that includes a post-conviction litigation clinic, where NYU Law students work directly with the Innocence Project’s post-conviction litigation attorneys on cases with strong claims of innocence. The Innocence Project is not equipped to handle case applications or inquiries by email, social media, or phone. Instead, all case submissions and correspondence are handled by mail or overnight delivery services.
The Innocence Project's work is guided by science and grounded in anti-racism. The organization has repeatedly seen how racial bias contributes to the wrongful incarceration of people of color. To advance racial justice throughout the criminal legal system, the Innocence Project strengthens its internal culture, empowers its staff, and honors their diversity and expertise. As of September 2022, 60% of the staff identify as people of color, with strong representation in senior leadership, supervisory, and department head roles.
The Innocence Project also advocates for prosecutorial reform to strengthen accountability and discourage repeated patterns of misconduct. This includes pushing for laws that mandate the preservation of biological evidence, provide statutory access to post-conviction DNA testing, and permit wrongfully convicted people to present new evidence. Additionally, the Innocence Project works to ensure transparency through public access to police disciplinary files and the establishment of police misconduct databases.
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Innocence Project's work with incarcerated people
The Innocence Project is a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals through DNA testing and other scientific means. It originated in New York City but accepts cases from other parts of the country. The Innocence Project is a founding member of the Innocence Network, a coalition of independent organizations and advocates, including law schools, journalism schools, and public defense offices that collaborate to help convicted felons prove their innocence.
The Innocence Project's mission is "to free the staggering number of innocent people who remain incarcerated, and to bring reform to the system responsible for their unjust imprisonment." The organization focuses exclusively on post-conviction appeals in which DNA evidence is available to be tested or retested. DNA testing is only possible in 5–10% of criminal cases. However, other members of the Innocence Network also help to exonerate those in whose cases DNA testing is not possible.
The Innocence Project has successfully overturned more than 300 convictions through DNA-based exonerations. In 2021, the organization received the biennial Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty by the Cato Institute, awarded in recognition of its work to ensure liberty and justice for all.
The Innocence Project and NYU School of Law have a partnership that includes a post-conviction litigation clinic, where NYU Law students work directly with the Innocence Project’s post-conviction litigation attorneys on cases with strong claims of innocence. The organization also works with local, state, and federal levels of law enforcement, legislators, and other programs to prevent further wrongful convictions. All potential clients go through an extensive screening process to determine whether or not they are likely to be innocent. If they pass the process, the Innocence Project takes up their case, resources permitting.
The Innocence Project's work is guided by science and grounded in anti-racism. The organization has repeatedly seen how racial bias contributes to the wrongful incarceration of people of color. To advance racial justice throughout the criminal legal system, the Innocence Project strengthens its internal culture, empowers its staff, and honors their diversity and expertise. As of September 2022, 60% of the staff identify as people of color, with strong representation in senior leadership, supervisory, and department head roles.
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Innocence Project's work with forensic science
The Innocence Project, founded in 1992 by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld, is a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals through DNA testing and other scientific advancements. The project has identified several factors that have contributed to wrongful convictions, including mistaken eyewitness identifications, police misconduct, prosecutorial misconduct, poor defense attorney performance, false testimony by jailhouse informants, and forensic science factors.
In the area of forensic science, misinterpretation of test results, statistical exaggeration, and the suppression of evidence and/or exculpatory results have led to wrongful convictions. To address these issues, the Innocence Project has proposed systemic changes, including setting standards for undergraduate and graduate forensic science education programs and requiring laboratory accreditation and regulatory oversight of forensic laboratories by an independent panel.
The Innocence Project also works through the courts to address the leading causes of wrongful conviction and establish legal precedent in areas where unvalidated forensic science can be unjustly used to convict innocent people. For example, in a Boston case, the Innocence Project exposed the lack of police accountability in the surveillance of Black communities online.
The Innocence Project's work is guided by science and grounded in anti-racism. The organization has a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with 60% of its staff identifying as people of color as of September 2022. The Innocence Project also partners with various organizations to strengthen its internal culture and advance racial justice throughout the criminal legal system.
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Innocence Project's work with racial justice
The Innocence Project is a national litigation and public policy nonprofit organisation dedicated to exonerating individuals who have been wrongfully convicted through DNA testing and other scientific advancements. It originated in New York City but accepts cases from across the United States. The Innocence Project is also a founding member of the Innocence Network, a coalition of independent organisations and advocates that collaborate to help convicted felons prove their innocence.
The work of the Innocence Project is guided by science and grounded in anti-racism. Over the past 30 years, the organisation has repeatedly seen how racial bias contributes to the wrongful incarceration of people of colour. To advance racial justice throughout the criminal legal system, the Innocence Project has strengthened its internal culture, empowered its staff, and honoured their diversity and expertise. As of September 2022, 60% of the staff identify as people of colour, with 66% of senior leadership and 48% of supervisors also identifying as people of colour.
The Innocence Project has partnered with management consulting and training firm DeEtta Jones & Associates to launch the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racist Leadership Forum for senior leadership and department heads. The purpose of this forum is to build a stronger understanding of equity and anti-racist leadership practices. Additionally, the Innocence Project has partnered with Candida Brooks-Harrison of Village Enrichment to perform regular system/structure enrichment using a Race, Diversity, and Intersectionality (RDI) framework. Candida has also provided training on Reflective Process and Intersectional Identities to all staff, as well as advanced workshops for the internal DEI committee and leadership teams.
The Innocence Project also works with local, state, and federal law enforcement, legislators, and other programs to prevent further wrongful convictions. This includes addressing the leading causes of wrongful conviction and establishing legal precedent in areas where unvalidated forensic science can be unjustly used to convict innocent people. For example, a Boston case revealed the lack of police accountability in the surveillance of Black communities online. By working through the courts and filing briefs, the Innocence Project helps to advance racial justice and prevent future injustices.
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Frequently asked questions
The Innocence Project is a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals through DNA testing and other scientific advancements. The project is guided by science and grounded in anti-racism.
Yes, law students can get involved with the Innocence Project. The NYU School of Law has a partnership with the Innocence Project that includes a post-conviction litigation clinic where law students work directly with post-conviction litigation attorneys on cases with strong claims of innocence. The Ohio Innocence Project at Cincinnati Law selects a team of 20-25 law students annually, mostly in their second year, to serve as Fellows in either the legal clinic or the policy, legislation, and engagement division. The Wisconsin Innocence Project at the University of Wisconsin Law School also involves law students in its work, with student teams successfully securing the release of more than 30 wrongfully convicted persons.
The Innocence Project only considers cases where the trial has been completed, an appeal has taken place, and the person is serving their sentence. There must be physical evidence that, if subjected to DNA testing, will prove the applicant's innocence. The Innocence Project does not handle cases where the applicant claims consent or transaction, self-defense or justification, or sustained abuse.
To submit a case to the Innocence Project, individuals should print and complete the appropriate form and mail it to the Innocence Project Intake Department. The Innocence Project does not accept case applications or inquiries by email, phone, or social media.
The Innocence Project is not affiliated with any other organizations, including the American Innocence Project. The Innocence Project is a part of the Innocence Network, which includes local innocence organizations in various states.
