The innocence project new orleans (ipno) seeks BJA funds to support the review of possible wrongful convictions caused by the inadequate prior standards

This federal Project Grant award of $600,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) supports the Innocence Project New Orleans (IPNO) in reviewing potential wrongful convictions caused by inadequate legal representation prior to 2011.

Specifically, the funding will enable IPNO to screen 246 cases with a high likelihood of wrongful conviction due to ineffective counsel, based on their arrest dates prior to the implementation of Louisiana's Public Defender Act in 2011. The project will involve investigating these cases through witness interviews, expert consultations, and public record reviews to determine if further legal action is warranted to challenge the convictions. IPNO plans to either close, refer, resolve, or provide direct representation for the reviewed cases. This aligns with the BJA's Capital Case Litigation Initiative (CFDA 16.746), which aims to prevent wrongful convictions and improve legal representation quality in criminal cases.

In august 2007, the louisiana public defender act (act 307) was passed. Act 307 was designed to provide effective legal representation through binding standards and guidelines. The deadline for implementation of act 307 was august 15, 2011. Ipno has experience with cases of ineffective assistance of counsel, having exonerated four people in the last 3 years with such a claim. Ipno currently has 246 cases in its intake system with top a/b screening grades and an arrest date before act 307S implementation. Of these cases, 77% were handled by a public defender, and 80% of applicants in ipnos screened cases are black. Ipnos project will review cases with an a/b grade and pre-august 15, 2011, arrest date. This screening review will select cases for further investigative review based on the likelihood of wrongful conviction based on inadequate defense representation. The screening review is designed to maximize information without triggering filing deadlines, and investigation review will be based on witness interviews, consultation with experts, and review of public records. Reviewed cases will either be closed, referred, resolved, or move forward for ipno representation.