Scotland’s First Innocence Project

Griffith Law Review, 2003

Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au INVESTIGATING INNOCENCE The Emerging Role of Innocence Projects in the Correction of Wrongful Conviction in Australia Lynne Weathered * DNA technology has uncovered the significant problem of wrongful conviction in the United States. Australians tend to have great faith in our criminal justice system; however, innocent people have also been wrongly convicted in this country. As a society, we must never become complacent about our criminal justice system: we must continually address areas likely to be relevant to the incidence of wrongful conviction, and we need mechanisms for the proper review of claims of innocence. Following in the footsteps of Innocence Projects in the United States, Innocence Projects in Australia are emerging as a resource for the investigation of claims of wrongful conviction with the aim of freeing innocent persons from incarceration. The majority of wrongful conviction claims will not involve DNA evidence, making the investigative work of Innocence Projects more complex and time-consuming, but also a task in which student resources are particularly valuable. To enhance the effectiveness of addressing claims of wrongful conviction, adoption of legislation or procedures is required. This would include changes requiring the preservation of evidence and expanded access to the courts of appeal for persons who have exhausted their one appeal prior to investigations uncovering evidence of innocence.

Criminal Law and Justice Weekly, 2016

An exploration of the resurgence and growth of independent innocence projects in universities across the United Kingdom, following the collapse of the Innocence Network UK in September 2014 which previously oversaw the role of all members through a centralised scheme. The article makes 5 key recommendations for the development of, and collaboration between, these projects moving forward. It also looks at the need for university projects to involve themselves in penal reform activism. The paper presents a list of the 19 universities and 2 charitable organisations that were running projects in 2016.

Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 2009

International Journal of Clinical Legal Education, 2018

Whilst the notion of innocence projects has been much debated in literature 3 the purpose of this paper is to present the pedagogy of the Innocence Project London (hereinafter IPL) and the meaningful learning opportunity it provides to students. The pedagogy combines experiential learning with elements of work based learning to create an employer/ employee environment. Law students are 'employed' to work on the IPL where the employment process starts with a two-stage application. The clinical learning model on an innocence project is distinct from the traditional clinic approach, in that students start work at the end of a case rather than at the beginning. The problem-solving therefore is developed in the context of critical judgement based on what happened when the case was decided in court as opposed to how the case should be presented in court. The learning for the students has been significant. 1. The IPL Pedagogy The pedagogy of any innocence project, by virtue of the nature of the work, is underpinned by the experiential learning model from clinical legal education, 4 but it provides a very different learning process for the student. 5 As distinct from the law clinic model which requires an understanding of what facts are presented as agreed or considered insignificant, 6 cases accepted by the IPL have already been decided and appealed. Students are required to disentangle them through an extensive 3 Some interesting perspectives can be found in:

Social Science Research Network, 2015

Despite the growing number of university and law school-based innocence projects in North America, the impact of participation in the case review process on students has been underexplored. The current study investigated the experiences of criminology students who participated in an innocence project practicum at a Canadian university. Overall, participants found the practicum to be a positive experience that led to greater empowerment and increased feelings of competence and self-worth. Additionally, the innocence practicum impacted students' views of wrongful conviction and their beliefs about the criminal justice system. In particular, students left the practicum with a better appreciation of the factors that contribute to wrongful conviction, knowledge that wrongful convictions occur more frequently than they previously thought, feelings of empathy about the post-release challenges faced by exonerees, and the sense that they could make a difference in the lives of others. Moreover, students developed more negative views of, and lost faith in, the criminal justice system as a result of their involvement in the practicum. The implications of these findings are discussed.

2010

There is nothing more compelling than a story about an innocent person wrongly convicted and ultimately vindicated. An ordinary citizen is caught up in the criminal justice system through circumstances beyond his or her control, spends many years in prison, and then one day, with the assistance of a dedicated lawyer, is freed. Like many people, I am drawn to such stories. I have even told one myself. This is the rare crime story with a happy ending. The vindicated person emerges from prison and falls into the loving arms of family and friends. The lawyer is embraced as well. The front page of the local newspaper carries a photograph of the celebration. Sometimes even the victim is pleased. Often, when DNA is behind a vindication, not only is the innocent person exonerated but the true perpetrator is identified. This is a significant achievement even though it can also lead

The Wrongful Conviction Law Review, 2021

This article examines the two categories that have evolved in the literature concerning Innocence Projects; the pedagogical value of innocence work and the problems with associating the term innocence with the English criminal justice process. This research draws upon a study undertaken in 2017 by the Innocence Project London (unpublished) and another in 2020. Both studies sought to understand the extent to which organisations are undertaking innocence work in England and Wales. This research is written from the perspective of the Directors of both the Innocence Project London and Manchester Innocence Project, and as a result, the projects are discussed at length in various sections. An effort has been made however, to discuss other organisations that undertake similar work in various parts of this article.

Compass: Journal of Learning and Teaching, 2021

This reflection on a presentation at the Greenwich Learning and Teaching Conference (SHIFT) 2021 shows how powerful a sense of belonging can be, not only for students, but also for academics. By sharing their autobiographical reflections' project, the student and staff presenters so powerfully connected with their audience that everyone was struck by the importance of collaborations that give students a voice. The occasion both produced some unanticipated outcomes and enabled everyone to relate personal experience to that of others.'

Modern Law Review, 2007