Contact Us

For more information about this program, contact Kenneth L. Lawson at (808) 956-0595 or by email.

EMAIL

Hawai‘i Innocence Project

Overview

The Hawai‘i Innocence Project (HIP), founded in 2005 at the William S. Richardson School of Law, fights for the freedom of those who have been wrongfully convicted and advocates for the prevention of future injustice. HIP is a law clinic and nonprofit with a mission to free prisoners who are factually innocent but who have been wrongfully convicted. Through the work of volunteers, attorneys, and law students, HIP strives to not only exonerate the innocent but to also reform the justice system to prevent innocent people from being convicted of crimes they didn’t commit.

HIP is a member of the Innocence Network, a collection of organizations across the nation which have joined the movement for justice and freedom. For more information about HIP, visit hawaiiinnocenceproject.org.

Justice

HIP’s sole purpose is to seek justice for the wrongfully convicted and for the victims whose real perpetrator was never held accountable for their crimes. Through investigations, legal research, and DNA testing, we seek to right the terrible miscarriage of justice that occurs when an innocent person languishes behind bars for a crime someone else committed.

Education

As a legal clinic through the Law School, HIP seeks to train law students to be passionate advocates and effective attorneys who will diligently represent their clients. Students are given the opportunity to investigate, research, and draft legal documents. Beyond practical experience, students also learn firsthand the consequences of bad lawyering and junk science. Through outreach, seminars, and presentations, HIP educates lawmakers, law enforcement, and the community about the causes of wrongful conviction to ensure the prevention of more innocent people from being falsely accused and wrongfully convicted.

Community

HIP is usually the last chance the innocent and their families have to seek justice. When they come to HIP, the system has failed them and they have often lost any hope of being free. Their lives and community have suffered while they are behind bars, serving time for a crime they did not commit. Missed birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and funerals are just some of the consequences defendants and their families must endure. By working to exonerate the innocent HIP is working to rebuild the families and communities affected by these grave injustices.