The Innocence Project

The Innocence Project is a clinical program at Osgoode Hall Law School which seeks to address the problem of wrongful convictions. Students and faculty of Osgoode Hall volunteer their time in an effort to assist individuals who claim to have been wrongfully convicted. The students, under the supervision of faculty, examine the cases of these individuals and, where feasible, reinvestigate and seek proof of the claim of innocence.

Ultimately, some cases are taken to the point where a formal remedy is sought by a written application to the federal Minister of Justice under s.696.1 (formerly s. 690) of the Criminal Code. However, the Project seeks to assist the wrongfully convicted in a variety of ways, including requests for compensation and clemency.

The Romeo Phillion application is but one example of the work of The Osgoode Hall Innocence Project. The Project has also assisted such individuals as Gary Staples and Leonard Peltier, and in other cases has offered support to the Association in Defence of the WrongfullyConvicted (AIDWYC). The Innocence Project and its late Director, Professor Dianne Martin, have also compiled (now published) research for the Commission on Proceedings Involving Guy Paul Morin, intervened in cases before the Supreme Court of Canada, and made submissions to the federal Minister of Justice concerning remedies for wrongful conviction.