Griffith College Dublin

OFFICIAL LAUNCH

Griffith College Dublin leads the way in legal education by bringing world renowned Innocence Project to Ireland

The Irish Innocence Project (Tionscadal Neamhchiontachta na hÉireann) was officially launched today at Griffith College Dublin by Dr. Greg Hampikian, director of the Idaho Innocence Project and DNA expert for the Georgia Innocence Project.

This is the first initiative of its kind in Ireland and is being led by David Langwallner, Dean of Law at Griffith College, where the Irish Innocence Project will make its home. He has worked closely with Dr. Hampikian and his colleagues in the USA and Canada, to tailor the programme to the Irish justice system.

The Innocence Network was co-founded in 1992 by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld and uses DNA evidence to examine cases where there are claims of wrongful conviction. Since it began, 251 people have been exonerated in the USA; 17 of those people had served time on death row. The Irish Innocence Project (IIP) joins similar projects in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom as the international expansion of the project continues.

Langwallner and Griffith College faculty staff began work on the Irish Innocence Project in October 2009. Nine final-year law students are working with qualified and practising barristers, who in turn are working closely with Langwallner, to give post-conviction reviews of 14 cases. These were selected from a pool of 20 claims of wrongful conviction that were received by the Irish Innocence Project.

Pictured above Dean of Law at Griffith College David Langwallner(Irish Innocence Project) with Dr. Greg Hampikian

The students are reviewing all aspects of the chosen case, from the original investigation to the final appeal. Once a review is complete, the team will make a recommendation as to whether the case should be brought before the courts once more or if no further action should be taken.

“It is a great honour to be able to bring a programme such as this to Ireland,” Langwallner said. “Students will benefit enormously from this ground-breaking scheme and hopefully in years to come we will be producing results such as those currently being achieved by Dr. Hampikian and his colleagues in America.”

Hampikian said he is honoured to participate in opening and supporting the first Irish project.

“This kind of expansion shows the global need for innocence projects and the universal appeal of justice for the wrongfully imprisoned,” he said. “David’s vision and passion have attracted a very strong cadre of law students who have already begun work on several compelling cases.”

Hampikian brings to Ireland his experience of working on four US exonerations. He serves on the board of the Georgia Innocence Project, and is the co-author of “Exit to Freedom” which documents Calvin Johnson’s successful fight to prove his innocence after serving 17 years of a life-sentence in a Georgia prison.

For more information on the Irish Innocence Project at Griffith College please log on to www.innocenceproject.ie and for more information about the Innocence Network and its projects log on to www.innocenceproject.org

About Dr. Greg Hampikian
Dr. Greg Hampikian is an internationally known DNA expert and professor of forensic biology. He is Director of the Idaho Innocence Project at Boise State University, Idaho, and the DNA expert for the Georgia Innocence Project. He has held research and teaching positions at: Yale University Medical School, Emory University, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Georgia Tech, La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia; and the University of Connecticut. He is currently Professor of Biology with a joint appointment in Criminal Justice at Boise State University.

Hampikian consults on court cases for both prosecution and defense throughout the United States, and has published in leading scientific journals including Nature, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. His laboratory at Boise State University works on forensic issues and basic biomedical research. Dr. Hampikian has also led workshops and given presentations across America and overseas at institutions such as Harvard University, The University of Georgia Law School, The University of Connecticut Advanced Genetics Technology Center, The Pasteur Institute in Paris, the Medical Research Council in Edinburgh, Scotland; and St. Mary’s Hospital in London.

A very popular speaker, Dr. Hampikian is a frequent keynote speaker at national conferences, and also offers outreach programs for teachers, schools, and civic organizations. He has been interviewed by leading news organizations such Good Morning America, Fox News, CNN, and the Wall Street Journal.

Pictured above Dean of Law at Griffith College David Langwallner(Irish Innocence Project) with Dr. Greg Hampikian

Dr. Greg Hampikian interviews
Dr. Greg Hampikian interviewed by Tom McGurk, McGurk on 4, 4FM, Friday 5th of March 2010
Dr. Greg Hampikian and David Langwallner interviewed by Pat Kenny, The Pat Kenny, RTE  Radio 1, Thursday 4th of March 2010
Dr. Greg Hampikian and David Langwallner interviewed about the Innocence Project by Fionn Davenport, Culture Shock, Newstalk, March 4th, 2010
Dr. Greg Hampikian interviewed by Matt Cooper, The Last Word, Today FM, Tuesday 9th of March 2010

The Law School at Griffith College is introducing a groundbreaking pilot programme, ‘Innocence Project’ for final year law students. The project will enable a select group of students from the Law faculty to partake in a post-conviction review of a case in response to claims of wrongful conviction or court judgement. Students from the faculty of Journalism and Media Communications will also be involved.

Dean of Law David Langwallner B.A., LL.M (Harvard), BL, is spearheading this initiative. The Griffith College Innocence Projects it the first of its kind in Ireland. David Langwallner says: “The primary aim of this project is to give Griffith students exposure to dealing with criminal cases, something that will prove invaluable when they leave college and begin their legal careers.”

“In April the Court of Criminal Appeal granted another certificate of miscarriage of justice. The Innocence Project operates in the UK, the US and Canada and the legal system in Ireland must follow suit with a ‘last resort’ for Ireland’s wrongly convicted.” continues Langwallner.

The Innocence Project at Griffith College
Students will work under the supervision of a qualified and practising lawyer who will be working in conjunction with the Director of the Innocence Programme. Under this supervision, students will review all aspects of the chosen case from the original investigation to the final appeal, thus providing them with invaluable work experience in the field.

Once the review has been completed by the team, they will then make a recommendation as to whether the case should be brought before the courts once more or if no further action should be taken.

IN THE MEDIA

Griffith Law School to be represented at the World Innocence Conference taking place in Cincinatti Ohio, 21 March 2011
It is better that ten guilty persons escape, than that one innocent suffer., 27 November 2010
OJ lawyer Barry Scheck promotes Irish 'innocence' programme, by Fergus Black, Irish Independent, Friday 6th of August 2010.
Barry Scheck is featured on the panel, and talks to Sam Smyth about the Innocence Project. Tonight with Vincent Browne, TV3, Thursday 5th of August 2010.
Dr. Greg Hampikian interviewed by Tom McGurk, McGurk on 4, 4FM, Friday 5th of March 2010
 Dr. Greg Hampikian and David Langwallner interviewed by Pat Kenny, The Pat Kenny, RTE  Radio 1, Thursday 4th of March 2010
Dr. Greg Hampikian and David Langwallner interviewed about the Innocence Project by Fionn Davenport, Culture Shock, Newstalk, March 4th, 2010
Dr. Greg Hampikian interviewed by Matt Cooper, The Last Word, Today FM, Tuesday 9th of March 2010
"On the Trail of the Innocent" by Michelle McDonagh, Irish Times, Tuesday, May 26th, 2009.
David Langwallner interviewed by George Hook on Newstalk, May 26th, 2009.
David Langwallner interviewed by Gareth O'Callaghan on 4FM, May 28th, 2009.
"DNS testing project offers fresh hope to the wrongfully convicted" by Michelle McDonagh, Irish Times Weekend Review, February 27th, 2010

To receive the interviews as podcasts click here to open iTunes or podcast player or enter
http://www.gcd.ie/podcasts/innocenceproject.xml into your Podcast receiver 

2010-11 NEWS

April 2011
2011 Innocence Network Conference Program
The law Faculty is delighted that six faculty members are travelling to the 2011 Innocence Network Conference Programme, taking place in Cincinnati, Ohio USA. The title of this years conference is 'An International Exploration of Wrongful Conviction '. It is hosted by the Rosenthal Institute for Justice/Ohio Innocence Project at the University of Cincinnati College of Law  and takes place from the 7th to the 10th of April. Read more>>

February 2011
Supervisory Board of the Irish Innocence Project hold inaugural meeting
February 2011 saw the inaugural meeting of the Supervisory Board of the Irish Innocence Project take place in Griffith College Dublin.  The board, chaired by Justice Frank Clarke, has members from an enviable cross section of the legal world in Ireland including academics, human rights lawyers, criminal solicitors, criminal barristers, a number of supervising lawyers, the Director of the project David Langwallner, and former case workers.  The scene was set for the meeting by the Director who gave an account of the projects genesis and development including the key milestones achieved and work ongoing.  The board also heard from serving case workers on matters such as fundraising, DNA and the Irish Innocence Project and overview of the procedure for dealing with cases and the current case profile was provided. The board will meet on a quarterly basis and will provide expert guidance on legal, ethical, lobbying and fundraising matters.

November 2010
Representatives of the Irish Innocence Project attend Innocence Network UK conference
Three representatives of the project attended the Innocence Network UK conference in November 2010.  The delegates used the opportunity to consult with projects in the UK and to share best practice in progressing cases and in dealing with authorities in relation to accessing evidence post conviction.  The delegates heard from a number of forensic, investigative, and criminal law experts as to their experiences in assisting those whom they believe to be wrongly convicted, and the conference provided a welcome opportunity to critically assess the operation of the Irish Project in comparison with our closest neighbours.

November 2010
20th Century Fox provide a special screening of "Conviction" November 2010
20th Century Fox recently facilitated the Irish Innocence Project at Griffith College Dublin with a special preview screening of Conviction.  Conviction is a 2010 drama film directed by Tony Goldwyn. It stars Hilary Swank as Betty Anne Waters and Sam Rockwell as her brother Kenneth Waters.The film is based on the true story of Betty Anne Waters, a single mother who, with the help of attorney Barry Scheck from the Innocence Project, exonerated her wrongfully convicted brother. Read more >>

November 2010
Director of Irish Innocence Project speaks at DIT Presumption of Innocence Conference
On November 27th 2010 a conference was held at The Dublin Institute of Technology on The Presumption of Innocence. The Director of the Innocence Project in Ireland David Langwallner gave a paper on Miscarriages of Justice in Ireland with particular reference to the work of The Irish Innocence Project. The conference was chaired by His Honour Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman and organised by Dr Claire Hamilton of the DIT who has recently accepted a position on the supervisory board of the Irish Innocence Project

August 2010
Director of International Innocence Network visits Irish Innocence Project at Griffith College Dublin
The project recently had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Barry Scheck the co founder of the Innocence Network who took time on a recent visit to meet with the Director of the project to discuss our progress, and he further had the opportunity to meet with our case workers and supervising lawyers to review each case the project is working on and to offer he expert advice on how to proceed.  The project benefited greatly from this visit and is taking the opportunity of Dr. Scheck's visit and kind invitation to foster links leading to joint learning opportunities with the New York innocence project.

March 2010
The Irish Innocence Project to send a delegation to the Innocence Network Conference
From April 7th - 10th the World Innocence Conference will take place in Cincinatti, Ohio.
The Irish Innocence Project is sending a six person delegation to the conference consisting of the Director of the Project, two supervising lawyers and three caseworkers.
The Irish Innocence Project is involved in three sessions at the Conference.
Director David Langwallner will contribute to a session on 'Wrongful Convictions in Ireland, Australia and the UK'.
Director David Langwallner will also deliver a paper on 'The Role of the Irish Constitution and European Convention in Guiding and Shaping the Irish Innocence Project'.
Supervising lawyer Joanne Joyce will co-ordinate a session on recantation of evidence.
It is hoped that the sharing of common issues and problems with different perspectives will aid the work of the Innocence Project in this jurisdiction.