Innocence Project - Mississippi
Serving Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee, Oktibbeha Counties
About
The Innocence Project (and its state partners, such as the George C. Cochran Innocence Project at the University of Mississippi School of Law) works to exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals, reform the criminal justice system, and prevent future injustices. Core initiatives include:
Post-Conviction Legal Representation: Investigates claims of actual innocence and provides post-conviction legal assistance to incarcerated individuals whose convictions can be proven false through new evidence, particularly DNA testing.
Innocence Project
Policy Reform & Advocacy: Campaigns for legislative policy changes at state and national levels, such as mandatory recording of interrogations, eye-witness identification reforms, evidence preservation laws, and exoneree compensation.
Education & Research: Conducts scholarly research on systemic causes of wrongful convictions—such as misapplication of forensic science, false confessions, and eyewitness misidentification—to educate lawmakers, legal professionals, and the public.
Essential details
Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
Appointment only
Free — All case evaluations, DNA testing investigations, and legal representation provided to accepted clients are 100% free of charge. Applications must be submitted by mail or online questionnaire directly by or on behalf of the incarcerated individual.
By availability
Who is eligible
Incarcerated individuals who have already been convicted of a felony crime, have exhausted their initial direct appeals, and maintain actual innocence supported by biological evidence or testable new physical evidence.
Get involved
Donate
Visit https://innocenceproject.org/donate/ to donate.
Spanish language support
Spanish-speaking staff available.
Spanish-language materials available.