The Irish Innocence Project at Griffith College Dublin

“Our Project works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone”.    

The Irish Innocence Project, which has a long association with Griffith College and is housed within the Law Faculty, aims to assist persons who believe they have been the victim of a miscarriage of justice and who have exhausted other legal remedies.   

The Project, which launched at Griffith College in 2010, provides an investigative service to assist in discovering new or newly discovered evidence to assist persons and their legal teams in advancing a miscarriage of justice case.  

The ability to participate as a caseworker in the Project while studying our L.L.B. (Hons) in Law or L.L.B. (Hons) in Criminal Justice is one of the most influential factors for those who choose to study at Griffith College. In fact, we are the only college in Ireland where students who are accepted onto the Project can receive credits which will count towards their degree for working on the Project. This work is carried out under the supervision of qualified solicitors and barristers who advise the students throughout. Participating students review all aspects of a chosen case, from the original investigation to the final appeal. The recruiting and selection process for the Project takes place at the beginning of each academic year in Autumn.  

The Irish Innocence Project is one of 68 similar projects worldwide which has been validated by the Innocence Network. Interestingly, The Irish Innocence Project at Griffith College is the only Innocence Project in the world whose home is a 200-year-old former prison where at least one man, Joseph Poole, is believed to have been wrongfully convicted, hanged and buried in an unmarked grave somewhere on the grounds.  

The Project itself is an independent unincorporated association managed by a board which includes representatives from Griffith College and Trinity College, as well as solicitors and barristers.  

To learn more about the Irish Innocence Project at Griffith College or to get in touch with the team, visit the website here.