Pennsylvania Innocence Project
Villanova Law was at the forefront in launching the Pennsylvania Innocence Project. The Project is part of the Innocence Network, a group of more than 50 innocence projects nationwide dedicated to securing freedom for persons imprisoned for crimes they did not commit, and eliminating the causes of wrongful convictions. Villanova students participate in the work of the project through a for-credit externship that includes bi-weekly meetings with a full-time Villanova Law faculty member. Specially-trained students from VLS and other area law schools help screen, investigate and pursue in the courts claims of innocence under the supervision of the Project’s legal director and volunteer lawyers. Using DNA testing or other irrefutable evidence, our students will work to help identify, and then exonerate, Pennsylvania inmates who have been wrongfully convicted. Third-year student Edwin Wu is participating in the Project because “I believe the legal system can be something to believe in and fully trust.”
