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Officers
Co-President : Diana Wielocha
Co-President : Megan Peloquin
Case Manager : Laurel Sakai
Intake Coordinator : Sally Handmaker
Intake Coordinator : Ashley Gillespie
Treasurer : Jessica Lee

Faculty Advisor
Deirdre Enright

 
    Virginia Innocence Project Student Group

    Description
    The Virginia Innocence Project is a student legal research group. Primarily, volunteers assist with the investigation and screening of cases involving a claim of innocence. Student volunteers work in small groups researching cases, interviewing witnesses, and contacting the convicted defendant. Periodically they meet with case managers and a representative from the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project or the Virginia Innocence Project Clinic at UVA Law School. VIPS volunteers also work with the faculty of the UVA Innocence Project Clinic on special projects related to criminal law and post-conviction adjudication. A primary purpose of the group is to help screen incoming cases from several avenues, including direct mail to the student clinic, mail to several members of the UVA law faculty requesting assistance, and some of the requests received by the UVA Innocence Project Clinic. In addition to the ordinary work of the group, VIPS has brought in several guest speakers, including John Grisham and Marvin Anderson, an exoneree. General education of the student body is a primary goal of the VIPS student group and we hope to bring in additional guest speakers in the future.
    Mission Statement
    1. To provide charitable pro bono legal assistance from volunteer lawyers, law professors, and law students through the representation of prisoners convicted of serious crimes where cognizable claims of actual innocence exist; and 2) To raise awareness of the problem of wrongful convictions in the U.S. criminal justice system and the practices that contribute to this problem through educational panels, discussions, speakers, and other means.
    News
    VIPS will have tables at the PILA Fall Public Service Kick-Off on August 26th and the Student Activities Fair on August 27th.
    Contact Information
    Co-Presidents: Megan Peloquin (map5f@virginia.edu), Diana Wielocha (dcw3a@virginia.edu); Room SL 196C