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Wrongful Conviction Review Program

Award Information

Award #
2012-FA-BX-0013
Location
Congressional District
Status
Closed
Funding First Awarded
2012
Total funding (to date)
$146,943

Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2012, $146,943)

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.

The Pennsylvania Innocence Project will utilize the FY 2012 Wrongful Conviction award to represent and exonerate wrongfully convicted inmates. The grantee will create a full-time staff attorney position to maintain and expand a large caseload, as well as coordinate the claims of wrongful conviction, serve as lead attorney during litigation, and train and supervise volunteer attorneys and law students. This position will allow the grantee to improve the response time to inmates seeking assistance, increase the number of claims that can be evaluated and litigated, increase the ability to recruit and train volunteer lawyers and law student, and develop information that leads to the identity of the true perpetrators.

CA/NCF

Date Created: August 27, 2012