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No one ever wants an innocent person to be convicted and to spend a majority
of his or her life in prison. That sort of injustice erodes the very foundation
of our criminal justice system.
GIP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping
individuals who have been convicted of crimes they did not commit. The Project
works to secure post-conviction DNA testing for Georgia inmates where DNA analysis
could prove guilt or innocence and adequate DNA testing was not available at trial.
Since its inception, GIP has received more than 3,200
letters requesting our assistance. Each request is carefully reviewed to determine
if the case meets our requirements. Our rigorous screening process includes a
complete review of the case and all relevant documents. If the case meets GIP's strict scrunity and there is DNA evidence available to test, we accept representation
of the case and begin litigating the
issues. To date, the Georgia Innocence Project has accepted nineteen clients.
Perhaps the biggest challenge in cases such as these is finding the physical
evidence. Acknowledging this problem, the 2003 Georgia General Assembly created
a solution. Under the leadership of Lt. Governor Mark Taylor and State Sen. David
Adelman, a bill was passed allowing for post-conviction DNA testing and for the
preservation of evidence. This bill passed both the House and the Senate unanimously
and was signed into law by the Governor.
In August 2004, GIP's work exonerated Clarence Harrison, a man who had been sentenced to life in prison for rape, robbery and kidnapping and who had been behind bars for nearly 18 years.
In December 2005, Atlantan Robert Clark was freed from prison after serving nearly 25 years for a crime he did not commit. Mr. Clark's exoneration was a joint effort between the Georgia Innocence Project and the original Innocence Project, based in New York.
The Georgia Innocence Project, through its Life After Exoneration program, continues to work with Mr. Harrison and Mr. Clark to help them rebuild their lives. This service includes representing exonerated clients for financial compensation. In 2005, the Georgia General Assembly awarded Mr. Harrison $1 million; in 2007, the same body awarded Mr. Clark $1.2 million for his years spent behind bars.
In January 2007, Atlantan Willie O. "Pete" Williams walked free after nearly 22 years of wrongful incarceration. He was officially exonerated in Fulton County Superior Court on February 13, 2007. Mr. Williams now participates in GIP's Life After Exoneration program.
On December 10, 2007, John Jerome White left Macon State Prison. GIP's work exonerated White of a 1979 rape and assault for which he was serving a life sentence.
See our Frequently Asked Questions page.
For more information on the cases and issues that comprise GIP's work, please visit our news release archive.
To read media coverage on GIP's work, please visit our Articles page.
For more information on the process of our work, please view this presentation. (This document is viewed with Adobe Reader.)
(Last Updated February 2008)
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