Wrongful Convictions Clinic

The Wrongful Convictions Clinic conducts investigations on behalf of North Carolina prison inmates who claim to be innocent of the charges for which they were convicted. The Clinic offers students the opportunity to play central roles in the investigation of these claims and, when the investigations are complete, in the pursuit of relief from the conviction. The directors of the Clinic and Center Fellows also supervise the activities of the Duke Innocence Project, a volunteer organization at the Law School in which student volunteers screen inmate requests for assistance, conduct preliminary investigations of innocence claims, and participate in the investigation of cases. To expand the Clinic's effectiveness, pro bono counsel from outside the Clinic will be recruited to assist with Clinic cases that require relief from the courts. Where possible, these lawyers will be alumni of the Law School. Although the Clinic does not limit the kinds of North Carolina cases that it will investigate, most of its cases do not involve the use of biological evidence that can be tested for DNA to identify the actual perpetrators of the crimes. Such non-DNA cases are by several degrees more difficult to investigate and even more difficult to conclude successfully. The Clinic/Innocence Project is one of only a handful of organizations in the country that investigates such cases.

The Clinic's wrongful convictions course examines the causes of and remedies for wrongful convictions, provides practical training in the skills required to investigate claims of wrongful convictions, offers mini-courses taught by experts in areas (such as forensic, medical, and genetic science, eyewitness identifications, and false confessions) critical for identifying wrongful convictions, and helps students develop strategies for the investigation of claims of actual innocence.

In addition to seeking relief for those wrongfully convicted, the Clinic will serve as a laboratory for developing practical ways to improve our ability to identify and prevent wrongful convictions and to improve the efficacy and fairness of the criminal justice system.