Project Grant 2017DYBX0005

The University of Arizona Innocence Project (UAIP) was awarded a $1,523,688 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence program (CFDA 16.820). The grant will fund UAIP's efforts to conduct postconviction case reviews, pursue DNA analysis, and litigate for relief on behalf of convicted individuals with viable claims of actual innocence in Arizona. Specifically, UAIP plans to work through 350-400 potential DNA...

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) awarded a $413,504 Project Grant to George Washington University (The) Student Accounts Office / Third Party Division to develop a novel DNA analysis method for forensic hair evidence. The grant, funded under the DNA Backlog Reduction Program (CFDA 16.741), aims to overcome limitations in current mitochondrial and nuclear DNA testing of hair shafts by leveraging hybridization capture and massively parallel sequencing techniques. The project will extract...

The Arizona Department of Public Safety's Scientific Analysis Bureau (SAB) received a $700,166 Formula Grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance under the DNA Backlog Reduction Program (CFDA 16.741) to continue efforts to eliminate the backlog of DNA analysis cases and increase testing capacity. Key products and services to be delivered include: Achieving and maintaining a backlog of zero DNA cases older than 60 days, while reducing turnaround time to 45 days. Maintaining a zero backlog of...

The Arizona Department of Public Safety's Scientific Analysis Bureau (SAB) received a $772,694 Formula Grant award from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under the Comprehensive Forensic DNA Analysis Grant Program (CFDA 16.036). The grant will fund the SAB's efforts to address DNA analysis backlogs, improve testing capacity, and modernize its forensic DNA analysis capabilities. Key activities include implementing streamlined processing methods, replacing obsolete instrumentation, and...

The City of Tucson was awarded a $237,294 Formula Grant under the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Comprehensive Forensic DNA Analysis Grant Program (CFDA 16.036). The grant will fund two Evidence Examination Specialist positions and one DNA Criminalist position in the Tucson Police Department Crime Laboratory's DNA unit. These personnel will focus on screening, sampling, and analyzing backlogged DNA cases, particularly for violent crimes and crimes against...

The City of Phoenix Police Department's Laboratory Services Bureau received a $799,488 Formula Grant under the Bureau of Justice Assistance's DNA Backlog Reduction Program (CFDA 16.741). The funding will be used to: 1) Increase the number of eligible CODIS samples by processing 15 backlogged forensic biology cases on overtime and outsourcing 175 backlogged cases; 2) Increase the capacity of the Forensic Biology section by purchasing, validating, and implementing new quantitation and plate...

This federal Project Grant award of $1,523,688.00 from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence program (CFDA 16.820) will enable the Regents of the University of Colorado (CU) to review two categories of cases in Colorado where postconviction DNA testing could produce exculpatory results. Specifically, CU will review: (1) 54 Denver cases where the discredited hair microscopy discipline was used to secure convictions, and (2)...

The Arizona Department of Public Safety will receive $887,156 under a Formula Grant award from the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance DNA Backlog Reduction Program (CFDA 16.741) to support DNA analysis services from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2024. The funding will assist the Arizona DPS Scientific Analysis Bureau DNA Unit in reducing casework and database sample backlogs, implementing process improvements and new DNA testing technologies,...

The Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZ DPS) has been awarded a $697,186 Project Grant under the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program (CFDA 16.050). The grant will fund two DNA forensic scientist positions at AZ DPS over a three-year period to increase the capacity for DNA testing and analysis of Arizona's missing persons, unidentified human remains, and family reference samples. The goal is to analyze 144...

The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) Innocence Program, Boston Police Forensic Division, and Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory received a $1,523,688 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence program (CFDA 16.820). The grant will enable the partners to: Expand their existing hair review project to include cases from 1970-1980, and identify all cases from 1970-2000 in which...