Innocence Project, Inc.

The Innocence Project’s policy and strategic litigation teams drive impactful state and federal reform across the country to address the root causes of wrongful convictions and prevent future injustice.

Through identification of critical case law for reform directly in the courts, the strategic litigation team establishes legal precedents to ensure scientific integrity and prevent wrongful conviction.

The policy team advocates at state and federal legislatures to establish reform law that challenges prosecutorial misconduct, increases mechanisms to ensure police transparency & accountability, regulates forensic science, establishes compensation laws for those wrongfully convicted, and much more — securing over 200 reform policy victories to date.

We recognize the brilliance and resilience of each individual and their family and community who are at the center of these cases. The Innocence Project’s social work team provides wraparound support and flexible financial assistance to each freed or exonerated client during and after their release and return to their communities.

Knowing that solutions to the injustices of our criminal legal system must come from those directly impacted; the Innocence Project works with exonerees to build their power and amplify their voices via trauma-informed story sharing, public policy advocacy, and representation on the IP’s Exoneree Advisory Council (EAC).

Through the Innocence Network’s movement of almost 70 organizations working together to free the innocent and prevent wrongful convictions, we build power in local communities to join this movement for true justice. Established in 2005, the Network has collectively exonerated more than 650 people.

Exoneration cases have radically expanded public understanding of the fallibility of the criminal legal system. Together, we are building a national movement for change.