Updates and Upcoming
Case Work by the Numbers
August 24, 2022
When the Pennsylvania Innocence Project agrees to represent a client, we spend years working toward their release and exoneration. The work is time-intensive, and the time spent waiting on reviews, hearings, or decisions can be very long.
So, what does active case work look like, as we seek to advance these cases?
2022 has been a busy year. So far, in cases spread across the Commonwealth, we have...
...filed 7 petitions, including petitions for post-conviction relief, reargument en banc, and allowance of appeal. We have also amended 2 federal habeas corpus petitions and filed 2 amendments to post-conviction relief petitions.
...filed 3 pardon petitions for clients who made the difficult decision to take no-contest pleas and now seek to fully clear their names.
...filed 7 briefs in state and federal courts, including 1 amicus curiae, or friend of the court, brief with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
...seen progress on 15 cases in partnership with Conviction Integrity Units (CIUs), including 3 case presentations and 8 open-file discovery document reviews facilitated by prosecutors.
...had 3 hearings, including a very favorable result in a resentencing hearing on a case of an innocent juvenile sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
...welcomed 1 client home on parole and obtained parole for another client who will be released this fall. Both maintained their innocence in the parole process even though the Parole Board usually requires applicants to admit guilt. Now both men will be able to continue to fight for their exoneration while reuniting with family and friends.
...reached 1 successful resolution in the case of Greg Brown. Greg is finally putting his 25-year nightmare of wrongful conviction behind him. If you haven't yet, read Greg's story here: https://painnocence.org/GregBrown
We have also completed 32 in-depth case review reports, as we continue to move hundreds of cases through our four stages of review.
All of this active case work is in addition to our efforts to advance policy changes to prevent wrongful conviction and improve the lives of the innocent, and to provide education to interns, students, and professionals. A busy year so far indeed!