Innocence Project

Innocence Project, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal organization that uses DNA testing and other forms of post-conviction relief to exonerate and free prisoners who they believe have been wrongly convicted. The organization also advocates for criminal justice reform to prevent future injustice. The group cites various studies estimating that in the United States between 1% and 10% of all prisoners are innocent. The Innocence Project was founded in 1992 by attorneys Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, who gained national attention in the mid-1990s as part of the "Dream Team" of lawyers who formed part of the defense in the O. J. Simpson murder case. As of 2025, the Innocence Project has participated in successfully overturned 254 convictions through DNA-based exonerations, and has confirmed guilt in about 40% of the cases they closely examined. In 2021, the Innocence Project received the biennial Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty from the Cato Institute, awarded in recognition and gratitude for its work to ensure liberty and justice for all. In March 2022, the Innocence Project won two Webby Awards for its Happiest Moments video, winning the Best Humanitarian & Services campaign in both the brand and non-profit categories. Happiest Moments was the organization's first public service announcement, premiering in June 2021 and produced by Hayden5.