Great North Innocence Project

Each year our team works diligently to screen hundreds of requests for help, to give freedom back to people in prison for crimes they did not commit. Great North Innocence Project staff, law students, investigators, and volunteer attorneys spend thousands of hours carefully analyzing these cases to determine whether there is new evidence that could show actual Innocence. We litigate cases where newly discovered evidence is identifiable and can provide clear and convincing proof of actual Innocence. The Great North Innocence Project also works to improve the criminal legal system to prevent wrongful convictions and educates law students, the courts, lawyers, and law enforcement officers on the causes and consequences of wrongful convictions and how to prevent them.last year, we responded to hundreds of phone calls, emails, and letters requesting information on our services. We received 161 letters requesting our assistance and sent 86 applicant questionnaires in response to those individuals following our initial screening of the letters received. We received 57 completed questionnaires back from applicants. We screened and investigated those requests. Last year, as is typical for the Great North Innocence Project, we had more than 75 cases opened in screening and investigation, and approximately 6 cases open in some form of litigation, court-ordered dna testing, or formal review by the Minnesota conviction review unit throughout the year.through a partnership with the Minnesota attorney general's office, we created, implemented, and in 2023 provided ongoing support for, a statewide conviction review unit to provide a potential additional avenue for relief for people claiming they are wrongfully convicted. We reached approximately seventy-five (75) students through classes and clinics taught at law schools, provided community and continuing professional education to more than 500 people, and got a law passed in North dakota to study law enforcement practices regarding the recording of custodial interrogations.. we also actively advocated for other improvements to the criminal legal systems in south dakota and Minnesota.