The Innocence Project goes global

Recently, there has been a lot of recognition in the U.S. media for the founder of the Innocence Project in the Philippines. Dr. Maria Corazon Abogado De Ungria is the head of the DNA Analysis Laboratory of the Natural Sciences Research Institute, University of the Philippines, the Director of the Program on Forensic and Ethnicity of the Philippine Genome Center, and the founder of the Innocence Project Philippines. De Ungria is a hero of science not only in her country, but globally. She almost single-handedly built the DNA forensics database in the Philippines in the late 1990s.

“[De Ungria] has played a major role in resolving forensic cases, bringing justice to victims of abuse and heinous crimes, and those who have been wrongfully accused or convicted,” the Asian Journal said.

According to the Innocence Project Philippines Facebook page, the project is "a network of law school clinics, scientific and academic laboratories and non-governmental organizations that seeks to make justice accessible for wrongfully convicted persons."

The Innocence Project at the National Bilibid Prison aims to:

• Provide coordinated free legal assistance to persons wrongfully convicted;

• Advocate reforms in policies, laws, judicial rules, legal education, and criminal investigative procedures and evidence handling to redress wrongful convictions in the Philippines;

• Enhance the capacities of justice stakeholders including judges, prosecutors, lawyers, criminal and forensic investigators, law students, etc. to eradicate or mitigate wrongful convictions in the country; and

• Establish an independent and accurate data bank containing all pertinent information on wrongful convictions in the Philippines.

For more information, click here.

Photo credit: Asian Journal

Status of SB 89 in Austin: Since my last post, SB 89 remains in Stage 1 (Filed). On Feb. 25, 2013, a co-author was authorized: On motion of Senator Ellis, Senator Rodriguez will be shown as Co-author of SB 89.

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Henrietta Williams