On October 17, 2007, MAIP's Executive Director made a presentation to Virginia's Forensic Science Board, asking the Board to endorse a change to Virginia's post-conviction DNA testing statute that would allow prisoners to obtain types of DNA testing not performed by the state lab.  Specifically, MAIP urges the adoption of Y-STR testing, a form of DNA testing that can get results with smaller amounts of genetic material, and with material that was once believed to be too degraded even to test.  It is also useful for obtaining results where a small amount of male DNA might otherwise be masked by a large amount of female DNA in a sample.  The change would have an enormous impact on many of MAIP's prospective clients.  It is particularly crucial now, as Virginia undergoes the DNA re-testing program ordered by Governor Warner. 

Ms. Armbrust's presentation was covered by the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Free Lance-Star.  To read their articles, click here and here.   To read about Virginia's re-testing program, click here. 

 We are currently looking for the following types of volunteers:

Administrative/Secretarial Support. We are looking for someone to help us manage the high volume of mail that we receive from prisoners seeking our help.  We hope to find a volunteer who can commit 15-20 hours per week to reading and responding to prisoner correspondence as directed by our Assistant Director.  This work must be done in our office at the Washington College of Law.  Our ideal candidate is someone with strong writing and organizational skills, excellent attention to detail, and the ability to work independently.  We will consider college students, retirees, and other interested members of the community.  Legal experience is helpful but not required.

Driver And Reader.  Finally, we are looking for a member of the community who is willing to drive to courthouses around our region to retrieve and evaluate transcripts for innocence issues.  Travel will be within the states of Maryland and Virginia.  Unfortunately, we are unable to reimburse for mileage, though we do have a budget for case-related costs such as photocopying.  Familiarity with legal documents and innocence issues is useful, but we are prepared to train an otherwise outstanding candidate.  We would expect a volunteer to devote an average of at least two days a month to this project.    

If you are interested in any of these volunteer oppotunities, please e-mail a resume and cover letter to MAIP's Assistant Director, Eily Raman, at ERaman@wcl.american.edu.  Thank you! 

Innocence Week, held from March 26-30 at the Washington College of Law, was a great success.  In the course of the week, MAIP sponsored four lunchtime panel discussions about innocence issues.  On Monday, three Washington College of Law professors spoke about some of the legal obstacles to exonerations.  On Tuesday, we heard from DC Metropolitan Police Department Detective Jim Trainum, who spoke about false confessions and how easy they can be for police officers to obtain.  We also heard from Tim O'Toole, an expert in the causes of misidentifications by eyewitnesses to crimes.  On Wednesday, we were privileged to meet with Kirk Bloodsworth, a former Maryland death row inmate who was freed by DNA testing that proved he did not commit the rape and murder of which he was convicted.  Finally, on Thursday, we heard from Dennis Fritz and Marvin Anderson, two exonerees who shared their stories of what it was like to be convicted of terrible crimes that they did not commit.  The week culminated in two performances of the acclaimed play The Exonerated.  All of the lunchtime panels are available by podcast.  From www.wcl.american.edu/podcasts, click on "Washington College of Law Podcast" and then enter the search term "innocence."  You can then choose to download, stream, or e-mail any of the four presentations.   

We have finalized plans for Innocence Week!  The week will feature four luncheon lectures.  All lectures are free and open to the public.  Monday's panel will consist of Washington College of Law criminal law professors in a discussion of how a truly innocent person can be wrongly convicted in the American system of justice.  Tuesday's luncheon will feature Detective Jim Trainum of the DC Metropolitan Police Department, Tim O'Toole of the DC Public Defender Service, and MAIP Executive Director Shawn Armbrust discussing eyewitness misidentification and false confessions.  On Wednesday, we will have a special presentation and book-signing by Kirk Bloodsworth, a Maryland man who was wrongly convicted of a brutal rape and murder and who spent several years on death row before his exoneration.  He will be accompanied by Tim Junkin, who wrote a book about his case, and John Terzano, the Executive Director of The Justice Project.  Finally, on Thursday, we will hear from two men, including Dennis Fritz, who were wrongly convicted and eventually exonerated after spending many years in prison.  Mr. Fritz will sign copies of his new book following the luncheon.  For details about time and location, please see the Innocence Week Schedule.

On Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m., we will offer a professionally staged production of the critically acclaimed play The Exonerated.  Tickets to The Exonerated are $10 for students and $30 for others.  For details about the play, please see the attached Poster.

Pre-registration is strongly encouraged for both the luncheons and the play.  To register for the luncheons or to purchase tickets for the play, click here and, under "Event Information," scroll down to the program or play that you wish to attend. 

Hello and welcome to the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project’s new blog! My name is Shawn Armbrust, executive director of MAIP. I will be authoring and updating this blog along with several other members of our staff and board of directors. In case you aren’t too familiar with our organization, here is a quick breakdown of our organization and our goals:

• We are a non-profit organization that provides investigative and legal assistance to incarcerated people who have been wrongly convicted of crimes.

• Our mission is to seek the exoneration and release of persons who have been convicted of crimes that they did not commit in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

• Because certain aspects of the judicial system make this so difficult, another part of our mission is educating judges, lawmakers, and the public about the causes of wrongful convictions. Through improved laws, an educated judiciary, and an informed public, we believe that the number of wrongful convictions can be decreased.

• Our organization is run by a permanent staff of just two people: we rely on a network of law student volunteers and pro bono lawyers, who investigate and litigate claims of innocence.

We are embarking upon a new Web strategy in order to spread our message of innocence to the greater public. In this blog, we will give you organization news and updates, fundraising information, and discussion of relevant legal topics in the news. We hope to create an online dialogue that brings together capable lawyers, students, and volunteers; people who have been affected by wrongful imprisonment; and anyone interested in the current condition of our country’s legal system. Please join us in an online conversation and share with us your views and thoughts! We welcome feedback and are excited to hear from visitors to our new website!