Justice Highlights in 2016: Strengthening Our Capacity to Do More

As 2016 comes to an end, the Innocence Blog asked the people who lead programming at the Innocence Project to share their justice highlights from the past year. Over the past week, you’ve been able to read the Innocence Blog to get their insiders’ perspectives on the meaningful strides the Innocence Project made in 2016 toward protecting innocent people in the justice system.

Last week, we featured important milestones in criminal justice policy reform and key work done around forensic science and eyewitness identification within the nation’s courts.

Today we’re shining a spotlight on the teams within the Innocence Project that make the organization a special place to work by bringing in new people, new resources and new perspectives. In the end, all of their work enable the staff to better serve clients.

Corrine Padavano, Director of Human Resources: New People

For the first time, we were able to offer a staff position to an exoneree in 2016.  New attorney Jarrett Adams began working as our Post-Litigation Fellow in July. He’s doing a spectacular job and we’re lucky to have him and the unique perspective he brings.

For 2017 . . . One of our goals is to develop a wellness committee for our employees. In this line of work—one that can be emotionally and mentally demanding—it’s important for people to feel that they have a workplace that supports self-care.

Audrey Levitin, Director of Development and External Affairs: New Resources

The only way that the Innocence Project exists is through the generous donations of people from all over the world who choose to support the work we do. In 2016, the Innocence Project celebrated 8,500 donors! More than 800 of those donors gave to us on a recurring monthly basis. That ongoing support has been critical to keeping our work going.

Angela Amel, Director of Operations and Social Work: New Voices 

In 2016 we established our first-ever Exoneree Advisory Committee. The committee is made up of seven members. The Innocence Project contributed to their exonerations. Our goal is for the committee members to serve in a leadership capacity in which their input and opinions will directly inform Innocence Project work.

The creation of the committee is part of a larger goal at the Innocence Project to develop new ways to integrate the diverse voices of wrongfully convicted people into every aspect of the work we do.

In 2017 . . . We look forward to helping the committee flourish.

Related: Send Happy Holiday Messages to Our Newly Freed Clients