Our criteria for selecting cases include the following:
Case Location – We take cases only from incarcerated people who were convicted in state and federal courts in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.
New Evidence – The incarcerated person must believe that substantial new evidence may exist that has not been considered previously by a court. The new evidence does not have to involve DNA.
No Other Counsel – The incarcerated person must not be currently represented by another attorney in his or her criminal case, or have the right to appointed counsel in the case.
For more information on cases we do and do not take, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page. If your case fits our criteria, please complete our screening questionnaire.
Except where there are issues of literacy or English language ability, we ask that the questionnaire be filled out by the incarcerated person, not by a friend or family member.
If you have an upcoming filing deadline in court, such as an appeal, a post-conviction petition, or a habeas corpus deadline, please do not wait to hear from us before you make your filing. Even if we eventually decide that your case meets our criteria and that we would like to represent you, we cannot guarantee that we will conclude that process in time to assist you with upcoming filing deadlines.
Please mail your completed questionnaire to:
Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project
1413 K Street NW, Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005