Accurate Justice Project

Solving cold cases.

Correcting wrongful convictions.

Every year, police forensic databases identify the perpetrators of violent crimes and expose wrongful convictions.

But across the country, this information is falling through the cracks, leaving innocent people in prison and victims without closure.

We're working to change that.

Data shows that improved use of DNA evidence in the FBI's CODIS database could exonerate 15–20 innocent people every year and solve hundreds of cold cases, all while saving millions of taxpayer dollars.

Learn
What is CODIS?
How are CODIS hits being overlooked?
Why is this so urgent?

The Accurate Justice Project works to ensure that this powerful forensic evidence is properly reviewed, disclosed, and acted upon nationwide—never ignored.

About Us
Given the massive investment of time and money ordinarily required to secure just one exoneration, a policy change enabling 15–20 annually, at minimal cost, would be a major step forward.
Read more
Proper review of CODIS hits could expose 15–20 wrongful convictions every year
The discovery of these two cases, both in the National Registry of Exonerations, proves that powerful crime-solving and innocence-proving information in CODIS hits is all too often being ignored, and underscores the need for better policies.
Read more
2 confirmed cases of exculpatory CODIS hits going ignored
See all
We're currently focused on getting model policies adopted in four states: Michigan, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Georgia, with the goal of then getting other states to follow.

Our proposed model policy guarantees crime-solving and innocence-proving forensic evidence is used to its full potential:

  • An efficient and accountable system for reviewing all hits to forensic databases
  • Processes to flag and investigate forensic hits in cold cases
  • Guaranteed disclosure of potentially exculpatory forensic hits to an innocence organization
  • Compassionate notification of victims
Model Policy
Take action
We rely on donations to continue operating, and we’re careful to keep our costs down so no dollar is wasted.
Donate
Are you an organization or government agency interested in working with us?
Send us an email