Great North Innocence Project

*Free the wrongfully convicted

* Educate the public and stakeholders about the causes and consequences of wrongful convictions

*Advocate for policy changes to prevent future wrongful convictions

*Fighting to Free the Innocent
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. IPMN 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.

*Shining Light on Injustices
Through school and community presentations, we inform the public about the causes and
consequences of wrongful convictions to raise awareness and support for our work. We provide
practicing attorneys, judges, and law enforcement officers with continuing education and expert
information on wrongful convictions and the best practices to prevent them. We teach law school
courses on wrongful convictions and provide experiential learning opportunities to the next
generation of lawyers to build a better justice system.

*Advocating for Change
We work independently and in coalition with other organizations to pass laws and implement
policies that minimize chances of wrongful convictions and remedy injustices.

We have a strong staff who all work to fulfill our mission in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. We have the support of an effective board of directors and working board committees in our region. Our donor base includes individuals, foundations, and corporate organizations.

We work with law students from five law schools in our region and we actively partner with those law schools in support of our legal and advocacy work. We have a solid relationship within the legal community and a positive reputation among state policy makers with respect to our reform and advocacy work.

We are a member of the international Innocence Network (innocencenetwork.org) which is an affiliation of more than 67 organizations from all over the world dedicated to providing pro bono legal and investigative services to individuals seeking to prove innocence of crimes for which they have been convicted, and working to redress the causes of wrongful convictions. As part of our Network membership, we receive consulting support on organizational development, communications and development, and policy reform.

We have: helped free seven people from wrongful incarceration; investigated thousands of cases of alleged wrongful convictions; educated thousands of law students, lawyers, judges, law enforcement professionals, and community members; and effectively advocated for legal and policy changes. In 2019, after years of reactively assisting applicants from North Dakota and South Dakota when asked to do so, we were able to increase our staff and now proactively serve Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota as a regional innocence organization.