Actual Innocents: Considerations in Selecting Cases for a New Innocence Project

I. Introduction . . . . . 1098 II. Practical Considerations . . . . . 1102 A. Defining Your Scope: Determining What Kinds of Cases You Want . . . . . 1103 1. Substance: Limitations on Case Content . . . . . 1104 2. Form: Procedural, Jurisdictional, and Other Limitations . . . . . 1109 B. Putting Theory into Practice: How Do You Get the Cases You Want? . . . . . 1114 1. Inflow: Gathering Prospective Innocence Claims . . . . . 1114 2. Outflow: Procedures for Evaluating Potential Cases . . . . . 1116 a. Stage One: The Pre-Screening Assessment.. 1118 b. Stage Two: The Questionnaire . . . . . 1119 c. Stage Three: The Preliminary Investigation . . . . . 1121 C. Ethical Issues and the Case Selection Process . . . . . 1123 III. Pedagogical Considerations . . . . . 1127 A. Pedagogical Goals and Supervisory Methods for Law School Clinics: A Brief Look . . . . . 1129 B. The Educational Value of Involving Students in Case Selection for Innocence Projects: A Close Look . . . . . 1135 1. Student Experiences in Handling Innocence Cases: An Educational Mixed Bag . . . . . 1135 2. Student Participation in the Case Selection Process: A Potential Pedagogical Treasure Trove . . . . . 1141 IV . Conclusion . . . . . 1150