About Us.
Founded in June 2008 by a committed group of public officials, attorneys, journalists and professors, the Montana Innocence Project (MTIP) is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to exonerating innocent Montana inmates and preventing wrongful convictions. Toward that end, we offer pro-bono legal and investigative assistance to Montana prisoners who pass our rigorous screening. While physical evidence such as DNA is used to advance many claims, MTIP also accepts cases where DNA evidence is not available. In addition to MTIP's casework, we also advocate for public policy reforms that will prevent wrongful convictions and work to educate Montanans across the state.
Our staff and volunteers screen, investigate and litigate innocence claims in coordination with the Innocence Clinic we operate in affiliation with the University of Montana. School of Law and School of Journalism. Through this interdisciplinary clinic, students from both schools will investigate and litigate innocence claims while gaining valuable skills, academic credits and a strong understanding of wrongful conviction issues.
These efforts are possible thanks to a generous gift from Dan Weinberg and the Angora Ridge Foundation, the involvement of our board of directors, and a network of volunteer attorneys, investigators and concerned citizens. As a 501c3 nonprofit public charity organization, we welcome and rely upon tax-deductible donations to fund our work.
MTIP is a member of the international Innocence Network and our efforts in Montana build upon those of other successful Innocence Projects operating in most states throughout the nation. The original Innocence Project, based in New York and affiliated with the Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, was founded in 1992 by Peter Neufeld and Barry Scheck.
Over the last 20 years, Innocence Projects have used DNA evidence to help exonerate more than 200 innocent Americans nationwide. Of these exonerees, 17 were released not just from prison but from death row, and the average length of prison time served was 12 years. While exonerations based upon DNA evidence have garnered ample attention in the national media, DNA is simply not available in many cases and at least 200 other Americans have been freed thanks to other forms of evidence dug up and steadfastly pursued by advocates for the wrongly convicted.
