Cases
The clinic handles cases involving innocent individuals incarcerated for a minimum of 10 years who have new evidence ranging from recanting witnesses to new witnesses discovered by students to prosecutorial misconduct and ineffective assistance of counsel.
The clinic also accepts cases involving DNA evidence. The majority of the cases handled by the clinic involve serious offenses such as rape and murder and the majority of our clients are serving life sentences.
Students
In this hands-on clinic, law students have the opportunity for live client representation and the responsibility of:
- Investigating innocence claims and litigating post-conviction motions when appropriate
- Reexamining cases in their entirety and providing post-conviction representation to defendants with compelling claims to innocence
- Contributing through fact investigation, interviewing defendants and witnesses, and legal research and analysis
In addition, students may also have the opportunity to research, draft, and file motions for post-conviction relief, and appear in court on behalf of those wrongfully convicted.
Project responsibilities include detailed knowledge of the project's procedures and thorough documentation of actions taken on cases through memo writing. The entire project is paperless and requires extensive emailing and software involvement.
Investigation of innocence claims includes case screening, witness and client interviews, motion writing, and research. Students may have the opportunity to litigate motions for post-conviction relief. Read more about requirements for students.
News & Events
The Innocence Clinic is often featured in the news and events such as the "Under the Microscope - A Look into Wrongful Convictions in Florida and Pathways to Compensation" hosted in March 2023. See more news.
Contact Us
Phone: 305-284-8115
E-mail: miamiinnocence@law.miami.edu
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