In partnership with The Midwest Innocence Project (MIP), The UMKC Innocence Project Clinic seeks to exonerate the innocent, educate students, and reform the criminal justice system by identifying and remedying the causes of wrongful convictions. Central to the Clinic’s mission is training the next generation of lawyers through hands-on training and litigation to prevent miscarriages of justice in our legal system. Lindsay Runnels currently runs the clinic and supervises students at both the Kansas City and Columbia UM campuses. To learn more about the history of the clinic, please visit the MIP website.
Students
Clinical students are assigned to cases and are responsible for developing investigation strategies, including witness interviews and records collection. Students then implement them in the field. Students work alongside MIP staff, experts, and others in the field to develop claims of actual innocence.
Clients
If you know someone who has been wrongfully convicted, please ask them to write a letter to the MIP, providing a brief description of their case and request of the MIP’s assistance.