In addition to their co-directors and a managing attorney, the Innocence Project has six full-time staff attorneys and nearly 300 active cases. In almost half of the cases that the Innocence Project takes on, the clients' guilt is reconfirmed by DNA testing.
Madeline deLone was the executive director from 2004 until 2020, succeeded by Christina Swarns on September 8, 2020. The Innocence Project is the headquarters of the Innocence Network, a group of nearly 70 independent innocence organizations worldwide.
The Innocence Project is not equipped to handle case applications or inquiries by email or over the phone. All case submissions and follow-up correspondence will be handled by mail or overnight delivery services only. If you are seeking legal assistance, please read the following guidelines for submitting your case.
Some of the Innocence Project's successes have resulted in releasing people from death row. The successes of the project have fueled American opposition to the death penalty and have likely been a factor in the decision by some American states to institute moratoria on criminal executions.
The Innocence Project was founded in 1992 by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld who gained national attention in the mid-1990s as part of the "Dream Team" of lawyers who formed part of the defense in the O. J. Simpson murder case.
165165: Actual assailants identified. Those actual perpetrators went on to be convicted of 154 additional violent crimes, including 83 sexual assaults, 36 murders, and 35 other violent crimes while the innocent sat behind bars for their earlier offenses.
The leading factors in wrongful convictions are:Eyewitness misidentification.False confessions.Police and prosecutorial misconduct.Flawed forensic evidence.Perjured testimony.
JOB SUMMARY: The Innocence Project is a not-for-profit organization that works to exonerate innocent prisoners through post-conviction DNA testing and develop and implement policy changes to prevent wrongful convictions and otherwise reform the criminal justice system.
Only one-tenth of 1 percent of human DNA differs from one individual to the next and, although estimates vary, studies suggest that forensic DNA analysis is roughly 95 percent accurate.
The overall total is 258, and the Innocence Project reports that roughly 25% had given false confessions. Among a total of 340 exonerations of all kinds documented between 1989 and 2003, 15 percent involved false confessions.
Mistaken witness id Eyewitness error is the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions nationwide, playing a role in 72% of convictions overturned through DNA testing.
1. Between 2% and 10% of convicted individuals in US prisons are innocent. According to the 2019 annual report by the National Registry of Exonerations, wrongful convictions statistics show that the percentage of wrongful convictions is somewhere between 2% and 10%.
The Innocence Project only accepts cases on post-conviction appeal in which DNA testing can prove innocence. If the case does not involve biological evidence or DNA, visit the Innocence Network to see if there is a program in your area that provides broader legal and investigative assistance, and if, so, write to them.
100. This charity's score is a passing score.
6 Most Common Causes of Wrongful ConvictionsEyewitness misinterpretation. The leading cause of wrongful convictions is eyewitness misinterpretation. ... Incorrect forensics. ... False confessions. ... Official misconduct. ... Use of informants. ... Inadequate defense.
Database of convicted people said to be innocent includes 150 allegedly wrongfully executed.
Detectives Cyrus Lupo and Kevin Bernard detain a man who is tried and found guilty of killing a gay man as a hate crime. Shortly after, Emily Ryan steps in with The Innocence Collective, determined to prove his innocence and reverse the verdict.
The Matthew Shepard Act that ADA Mike Cutter mentions to the defendant, where he states he will see that the defendant is prosecuted in federal court as well, is referring to a bill passed by Congress on October 22, 2009 and signed into law by President Obama on October 28, 2009.
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.
Our Legal & Intake departments work to exonerate the innocent who have been wrongly convicted.
Our Strategic Litigation department works to improve case law through targeted legal work.
Our Policy department works to pass laws and implement policies that prevent wrongful conviction.
Our Social Work department supports exonerees as they rebuild their lives post-release.
Our Science and Research department provides the research-base that supports our legal and policy work.
The Innocence Network is a coalition of organizations dedicated to combating wrongful convictions.
The failure of overworked lawyers to investigate, call witnesses or prepare for trial has led to the conviction of innocent people. When a defense lawyer doesn’t do his or her job, the defendant suffers. Shrinking funding and access to resources for public defenders and court-appointed attorneys is only making the problem worse.
A review of convictions overturned by DNA testing reveals a trail of sleeping, drunk, incompetent and overburdened defense attorneys, at the trial level and on appeal. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. Innocent defendants are convicted or plead guilty in this country with less than adequate defense representation.
The Innocence Project ONLY considers cases that are: Postconviction—the trial and direct appeal are over and final. If you have not yet been convicted and lost your appeals, we cannot help you. Please do not write to us for assistance until after you have been convicted and your appeals have been completed. There is physical evidence that, ...
Examples of crimes where biological evidence can prove innocence include sexual assaults, homicides, assaults with close physical contact or a struggle and some robberies —where physical evidence was collected that was worn by or in contact with the actual perpetrator. The defendant must have been convicted of a crime.
Consent/Transaction: The defendant claims that there was no crime because the victim consented to the events (e.g. agreed to sex) and/or received some form of payment in exchange for the activity. (e.g. prostitution, drug transaction)
The crime occurred in the United States, but not: Arizona, California, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, or Puerto Rico. Our intake is currently closed to these states. Click here for a list of innocence organizations in those states. The Innocence Project does NOT review claims where DNA testing cannot prove innocence.
The Innocence Project is not equipped to handle case applications or inquiries by email or over the phone. All case submissions and follow-up correspondence will be handled by mail or overnight delivery services only.
The Innocence Project is not equipped to handle telephone or electronic (email) applications. The Innocence Project only accepts cases on post-conviction appeal in which DNA testing can prove innocence. If the case does not involve biological evidence or DNA, visit the Innocence Network to see if there is a program in your area ...
The case against Mr. Sprinkle’s co-defendant, Clarence Williams, was also dropped.
68 organizations from around the world working to exonerate unjustly convicted men and women, including independent nonprofits as well as organizations affiliated with law schools or other educational institutions, units of public defender offices, and pro bono sections of law firms.
I've been watching them over decades, and they’re pretty good. PIABA lawyers also sue mutual funds, hedge funds, and investment advisers. These may end up in court or arbitration, depending on the contracts you signed.
You want what is called a good “first chair” trial lawyer. In TV court dramas where three lawyers sit together, the first chair is the one speaking to the judge. The others, support and prep litigators, whisper in the first chair’s ear.
If your lawyer candidate doesn’t warn you on how suing can backfire, run. If they claim they are the best around, they aren't. If their goal is extorting a pre-trial settlement go elsewhere and find a lawyer who is willing, if needed, to go all the way to a final judgment. Good ones will. Finally, never lie.
Ken Fisher is the founder and executive chairman of Fisher Investments, author of 11 books, four of which were New York Times bestsellers, and is No. 200 on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans. Follow him on Twitter @KennethLFisher.
Several states like California, Michigan and Nebraska won’t let you use an attorney. Rules vary by state. If you’re alone and your opponent has a good attorney, you’re at a huge disadvantage. Sadly, any lawyer can go to court.