Dr. Zlatan Krizan's presentation of Sleep and Fatigue as a Factor in Reliability of Legal Statements and Criminal Culpability

This guide is designed to provide resources to Innocence Network members who work with and represent individuals who have been wrongfully convicted to recognize and provide staff, students, interns and volunteers support for secondary trauma that stems from our work.

In his book, Death in Custody, author Dr. Roger Mitchell Jr., Professor and Chair of Pathology at Howard University College of Medicine, emphasizes the need for a public health approach in understanding how the criminal legal system impacts the health and safety of those in custody. In this webinar, Dr. Mitchell covers discussion points concerning the history and development of the Deaths in Custody Reporting Act; a description of the categories of Deaths in Custody; and the establishment of public health solutions for Deaths in Custody.

The Innocence Network Intake Questionnaire Bank, compiled in December 2023, contains intake questionnaire examples from 30 different Innocence Network organizations.

Language is a powerful tool that can reinforce current systems or push against them. As part of the Innocence Network’s ongoing efforts to incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion into our work, this document has been created to guide our use of language about the criminal legal system and those it affects and other marginalized groups.

This guide defines and provides guidance on working with cultural humility and aims to help organizations within the Innocence Network operationalize the Network’s stated commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

This hour-long workshop will focus on concepts such as sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and pronouns. By the end of this session, attendees will be able to: understand the difference between sex, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation; gain fluency in terms and pronouns used by and about transgender and non-binary people, be able to comfortably ask someone what pronouns they use; be able to respectfully self-correct or correct others when misgendering occurs; access tools to create a safer workplace for all LGBTQI+ people; communicate respectfully with and about all LGBTQI+ people.

More than half of defendants who are convicted of crimes they did not commit are victims of misconduct by government officials. In September 2021, the National Registry of Exonerations released a detailed, comprehensive report on the role of misconduct by prosecutors, police officers, forensic analysts and child welfare workers in convicting innocent defendants. In this webinar, the authors will describe the nature of that study and how to use it, discuss some key findings, and answer questions.

This checklist contains important considerations for individuals and groups preparing clients for release and re-entry.

Join researchers from the National Registry of Exonerations for a deep dive into the Registry's data on false convictions. We will explore the process used to track and code exonerations, as well as provide a behind-the-scenes look at the cases that we code. Participants will learn how to navigate the Registry's online database and how to access in-depth queries from our wider dataset. This interactive workshop will be useful for organizations that would like to use exoneration data in their litigation, communications, and advocacy work.

Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG) has been a hot topic in the news following its use in identifying the "Golden State Killer." More and more private DNA and government laboratories are becoming equipped to use FGG in case work. The promise of this technology to help demonstrate wrongful convictions is not lost on innocence organizations, which sometimes represent individuals whose exoneration depends on identifying the source of crime scene evidence. While the FBI has created a model policy, and some states are considering legislation, FGG is largely unregulated. This presents ethical and privacy concerns for the accused and wrongly convicted that will inevitably be addressed in the courts and through legislation and policy. This session will provide practical information on how FGG can be used in casework, and also exposes participants to larger policy and bioethical issues surrounding its use.

Organizational meetings are one common and important component of innocence work. Regardless of how many emails are sent out and individual calls are made, nothing replaces getting everyone on your team together in a room or on a conference line to collectively discuss strategic aspects of your organization’s work. That’s because running an effective meeting can greatly enhance your organization’s ability to achieve intended goals by keeping employees, board members, and other stakeholders inspired, energized, and engaged.

Giving Tuesday takes place every year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Created as a way to give back after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday has become the second largest giving day of the year, after December 31. This guide contains content designed for Giving Tuesday 2020 that you can customize or cut and paste as well as tips for a successful Giving Tuesday.

This guide begins with an overview of things to think about and different decisions to consider to help you determine which donor database is the right fit for your innocence organization. There are also definitions of some commonly used terms to help you navigate the process. The bulk of the guide consists of brief narrative descriptions of 20 different databases. The accompanying chart offers comparative information on pricing and common features.

Hosted by the Innocence Network, this webinar focuses on the Wisconsin Latino Exoneration Program. Supervising attorney, Cristina Borde, walks viewers through her initial motivation to create such a program as well as describing its ins and outs for listeners to gain a clearer understanding of the program’s work. This includes an overall description, outreach efforts to identify applicants, encountered challenges, and insights she has gained since its inception in 2016.

As part of the Innocence Network Support Unit’s legal webinar series, this presentation is hosted by the Ohio Innocence Project and covers the 2018 Ru-El Sailor exoneration. Jennifer Bergeron, the organization’s deputy director, shares her experience working on this case particularly in regards to politics, when to involve the court, and managing client expectations. This is a unique opportunity for Innocence Network members to learn best practices through the case study format from a successful exoneration.

This guide begins with an overview of things to think about and different decisions to consider to help you determine which online fundraising platform is the right fit for your innocence organization. There are also definitions of some commonly used terms to help you navigate the process. The bulk of the guide consists of brief narrative descriptions of 35 different fundraising platforms. The accompanying chart offers comparative information on pricing and common features.

Navigating all the various case management system options can be overwhelming, and there are several high-level concerns that most Network members have when deciding to invest in a new system. It is our hope that the Innocence Network Case Management System Resource Guide will better equip Innocence Network members in the selection and adoption of a new case management system. This guide includes a discussion on the types of software available, questions to ask when thinking about how to ensure security, and an explanation and breakdown of the costs associated with acquiring a new system. The guide also offers an at-a-glance, compare-and-contrast chart which examines the basics of the case management systems most commonly used by Innocence Network members and provides a detailed breakdown of each, including the pros and cons of each system reported by Network members.

In our efforts to build a worldwide movement to end wrongful conviction, storytelling is an essential tool and innocence organizations are uniquely positioned to tell stories that can contribute to the change we want to see. We have a responsibility to use that tool thoughtfully and ethically. The choices around which stories we tell, who tells them, and how they are told have a big impact on power dynamics both internally and out in the world.

This resource gives a high-level overview of best practices in marketing and communications across multiple channels and tips for implementing these best practices at innocence organizations for those at all levels. The resource also includes specific examples and quotes from your peers in the Network as well as suggested articles and templates for a more in-depth view of each of the topics covered.

Improving donor retention rates can lead to large increases in the lifetime value of your donor file, a larger base of support, and a stronger pipeline for major gifts. Learn how great donor thanks can be a vehicle for increasing donor retention, some tips for creating memorable thanks, and see some stats on how other members of the Innocence Network are acknowledging first time donors.

In this webinar, Exoneration Project attorney Joshua Tepfer takes a deep dive into the first mass exoneration in Illinois’ Cook County history. He guides viewers through the thirteen-year long process from the discovery of numerous ties to Sergeant Ronald Watts and his tactical units to the ultimate dismissal of 18 convictions. Ultimately, he emphasizes the need for investigation, media, transparency, and organization in order to obtain successful outcomes in future cases.

In this part of the Innocence Network Support Unit’s legal webinar series, Lisa Kavanaugh of the Massachusetts Chief Counsel of the Committee for Public Counsel Services. Presented in a case study format, she provides an in-depth description of the crucial legal analysis utilized by the Supreme Judicial Court in Victor Rosario’s case. This is supplemented by a description of this standard in relation to other Massachusetts wrongful convictions and its implications for future post-conviction litigation.

Join Michigan Innocence Clinic’s Imran Syed as he discusses litigating arson cases and utilizes challenges that arose during People v. Babick as a real world example. He begins by introducing the concept of fire science at a basic level in order to assist those who may be unfamiliar and then delves into the Babick case itself. The presentation is concluded with important takeaways that can benefit other organizations who may come in contact with cases involving arson.

In this webinar, Kate Judson of the Wisconsin Innocence Project takes a deep dive into principles and techniques that can be helpful in cases with medically complicated evidence. In particular, she focuses on shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma cases, explaining what these hypotheses mean and presenting new findings that may disprove their original conclusions. This presentation can be a beneficial resource for any organization as they encounter science dependent litigation, or medical opinion evidence.

The Innocence Network Human Resources Toolkit is designed to support Innocence Network member organizations with the development and implementation of effective HR policies and practices. Section II of the toolkit is focused on managing employees.

A planned gift is a contribution that is arranged in the present and allocated at a future date. As baby boomers age, there is going to be a huge transfer of wealth and without a planned giving program, your organization could miss out on being a recipient. This resource will go over best practices for creating a planned giving program and includes templates and examples from other innocence organizations.

Hiring a dedicated development staff person – whether that person is full or part-time, or if they have other responsibilities in addition to fundraising – offers opportunities for an organization to grow and be sustainable. This guide is aimed at organizations and leaders who are responsible for hiring and managing development staff. This guide includes information on how to structure, recruit for, and onboard a development staff position for maximum success.

The Innocence Network Human Resources Toolkit is designed to support Innocence Network member organizations with the development and implementation of effective HR policies and practices. Section I of the toolkit is focused on how to recruit for and hire a new employee.

Join Innocence Network Support Unit’s Sara Lieberman as she explores the topic of state fundraising registration and charitable solicitation. More specifically, she covers registration and renewal requirements, risks, and the National Association of State Charity Officials’ development of a single portal that organizations should be aware of in order to maintain compliance.

The innocent and their families are not the only ones harmed by wrongful convictions. The victims and survivors of the original crimes also suffer deeply – from the knowledge that the real perpetrator was never apprehended or punished, from having to relive the trauma and pain of the crime committed against them, from losing faith in a system that they relied on to protect them and serve them justice, and from a profound sense of neglect by the courts and justice officials.

Razoo is an online fundraising platform that allows organizations and individuals to easily create custom pages to raise money for anything.

In this webinar, panelists from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and Innocence Project join the Innocence Network to discuss the topic of microscopic hair comparison cases. They provide both a historical summary of this practice’s origins as well as a few state-level approaches. Additionally, they highlight various errors and issues that should be considered prior to taking action which is useful for organizations as they pursue forensic analysis in exoneration cases.

If you are anticipating an exoneration and think you want to help your client with post-release resources through fundraising, this guide is designed to help you think through some of the options. An exoneration, or release from prison via another legal victory, is a major event for both the client and the innocence organization. A successful campaign can help your client start a new life and contribute to the growth and visibility of your organization and this guide will help you consider how your fundraising can and will impact both the individual and the organization.

A template for creating a basic case for support and a checklist to help you prepare board members, volunteers, or anyone to be a great ambassador for your organization.

The Innocence Network’s Exoneree Support Committee has put together the Exoneree Support Toolkit in order to help Network Member Organizations with pre and post exoneration support. The toolkit offers template documents that individual Network member organizations can download and customize to fit their own needs and populate with their own information.

This Volunteer Management Toolkit is designed to provide Innocence Network member organizations with helpful practices for working with volunteers in various capacities.