Wrongful Conviction Review Program FY 2013

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 FY13 (BJA - Wrongful Conviction Review) Pub. L. No. 113-6, 127 Stat. 198, 253. 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 University of Washington, in conjunction with the Innocence Project Northwest, will use its FY 2013 Wrongful Conviction grant to provide high-quality legal representation to wrongfully convicted individuals in Washington State. The grantee will use its award to hire an administrative assistant to reduce the administrative responsibilities of legal staff, allowing them to work on case evaluation and litigation, recruit and train pro bono attorneys to help with intake procedures, retain investigators, and travel to required trainings. CA/NCF