Public Outreach

Innocence Project of Minnesota (IPMN) works to raise public awareness about the prevalence and causes of wrongful conviction. IPMN also promotes substantive legal reforms to prevent future wrongful convictions. False confessions, mistaken eyewitness identification, substandard forensic work, incompetent legal representation, and police misconduct are just some of the problems in our criminal justice system that lead to the imprisonment of innocent people. In working with state and local officials to reform the criminal justice system, and in promoting greater community awareness about the causes and frequency of wrongful convictions, IPMN continues to make inroads in preventing wrongful convictions.

If you are interested in having IPMN speak to your community group or organization or would like an article for an upcoming newsletter, please contact Erika Applebaum by email or at 651.523.3152. A variety of topics are available. Requests typically must be made 3 weeks prior to speaking date or newsletter deadline.

Law School Training

Innocence projects play an important role in training the next generation of lawyers to avoid conviction of the innocent. “Wrongful Convictions: Causes and Remedies,” an academic course, developed in conjunction with the Innocence Network, examines the principal problems leading to the conviction of innocent people and the leading proposals for systemic reform. The course combines substantive reading about factors contributing to wrongful convictions with an opportunity to apply those principals through small group exercises. Students read materials in preparation for class, a short lecture covering the materials is given, and then students break into groups to prepare for the in-class exercise. Students are also required to analyze inmates’ requests for assistance from the IPMN with an emphasis on the appropriateness of referring the case onto the “Innocence Clinic.” The course includes digital multimedia curriculum on CDs with video presentations by the nation's top experts on issues of innocence.

The “Innocence Clinic” is both an educational tool and a vehicle for accomplishing the work of the IPMN. The clinic is a unique educational opportunity for enrolled law students to investigate possible wrongful convictions and represent imprisoned clients with claims of actual innocence. Supervised by experienced legal and forensic staff, law students evaluate case histories--including transcripts, medical reports, and appellate briefs--as well as work with prisoners, crime and evidence labs, law enforcement, defense attorneys, and prosecutors, to help prove claims of innocence.