730-308 Innocence Project

This subject has a quota of 16 students.

Criminal Law and Procedure; Evidence and Proof or in each case their equivalents.

Enrolment in this subject is limited to 16 students. Students will be required to complete a written application for enrolment. Interviews may also be conducted. Additional selection criteria include:

• academic performance;

• relevant work experience including involvement in community - based activities;

• teamwork experience and skills; and

• capacity and willingness to commit to the time demands of this subject.

Students who are most advanced in their studies will be given priority for enrolment in the subject. The subject will be available to all University of Melbourne Law School students including students in the Melbourne JD.

The University of Melbourne Innocence Project is a member of the International Innocence Network and the Australian Innocence Network. It is a university-based, lawyer-instructed, student-resourced and academically-supervised pro bono organisation which investigates claims of wrongful conviction. Similar projects operate in Australia, the United States of America, Canada and the United Kingdom. The Project seeks to identify persons who have been wrongfully convicted and to assist in exonerating and/or freeing them. We take on cases where innocence may be established through the use of DNA technology or other new evidence. Students examine selected case files in order to:

• determine whether the applicant's claim of factual innocence has merit;

• determine whether new evidence is available which may be used to exonerate the applicant;

• work to obtain the exoneration and/or release of wrongfully convicted persons; and may

• correct, expose or educate the public on other types of potential unfairness within the Australian criminal justice system.

The Project promotes a legal culture which champions the defence of the innocent and protects the marginalised and oppressed. Through the involvement of law students, the Project invests in lawyers of the future who uphold the values of truth in justice. The subject highlights the interaction between science, psychology, criminal law and the law of evidence. In addition, it provides an international perspective on wrongful conviction and an opportunity for students to gain a greater understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of criminal justice systems in this and other jurisdictions.

File management 50%, research essay 40% (due end of semester), summary and reflection 10% (due end of semester).

Printed materials will be issued by the Faculty of Law.