Project for the Innocent

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 FY12 BJA Wrongful Conviction Review Program, Pub. L. No. 112-55, 125 Stat. 552, 615. 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.

Loyola Marymount University's Project for the Innocent will utilize its FY 2012 Wrongful Conviction grant to support its law school clinic that provides free legal representation to indigent defendants in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and surrounding counties. Funds will support personnel costs for a part-time clinical and legal director, two part-time attorneys, and an investigator. The grantee will also use the award to purchase case management software, pay consultant fees for expert witnesses, pay travel costs associated with visiting inmates, and conduct community outreach. The award will help increase the number of inmates represented and decrease the backlog of cases waiting for review.

CA/NCF