Midwestern Innocence Expansion Project

The purpose of the Wrongful Conviction Review Program is to provide high quality and efficient representation for potentially wrongfully convicted defendants in post-conviction claims of innocence. This program is funded under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111-117). Post-conviction innocence claims are likely to include complex challenges to the reliability or accuracy of evidence presented at trial which fall mainly into three categories: eyewitness identification evidence; confession evidence; and forensic evidence. The goals of this initiative are to: provide quality representation to those who may have been wrongfully convicted; alleviate burdens placed on the criminal justice system through costly and prolonged post-conviction litigation; and identify, whenever possible, the actual perpetrator of the crime.

The Midwestern Innocence Project (MIP) through its FY 2010 Wrongful Conviction Review intends to increase internal investigative and legal service capacity for the purpose of more expediently addressing a large and diverse need for representation in claims of actual innocence. MIP will add an investigator and staff attorney position to increase the functionality of its workspace and enhance capacity and expediency in addressing claims of innocence.

CA/NCF