Washington Innocence Project

DIRECT CLIENT REPRESENTATION. Our direct-client representation work has grown significantly in 2023 with the addition of a Litigation Director and two new staff attorneys, all recently joining our office from public defense offices where they developed extensive trial and litigation skills. In August our client Evaristo Junior Salas was exonerated after going to prison at the age of 14 and serving 27 years of incarceration for a crime he did not commit. We worked on his case for nearly 5 years. We are innovating new pro bono opportunities to expand our impact and serve more clients.

POST-RELEASE CLIENT SUPPORT. We provided shoulder-to-shoulder support to Evaristo Junior Salas following his release, including coordinating his travel to events and speaking engagements in Seattle throughout the remainder of 2023. We continued to support Randy Henderson who is facing a possible retrial for the crime of which he was wrongly convicted. Along with our two directly impacted board members, we are developing a renewed approach to post-release support in light of our experience in this area over the past three years.

EDUCATION & POLICY REFORM. Our engagement with public defenders and the defense bar is expanding to provide resources at the trial stage, with hope to prevent more wrongful convictions before they happen. Directors Zarowsky and Marlow presented at a state-wide Public Defender training. Our legislative advocacy work included coordinated background presentations by law enforcement experts on the use of deception during interrogations, testimony during bill hearings, and supporting other advocates in their policy priorities by providing the innocence perspective on the issues. We wrote and filed multiple amicus briefs in state and federal court to educate the judiciary on the major contributing factors to wrongful convictions.