ABSTRACT
Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld did not predict when they founded the Innocence Project in 1992 that DNA exonerations would continue to exponentially rise and that the Innocence Movement would strengthen and grow based upon the expanding number of DNA exonerations. This chapter focuses upon the nonprofit organizations responding to Scheck, Neufeld, and Dwyer's call to action. The chapter discusses the formation and history of the first innocence projects in the United States. The chapter also describes the expansion of innocence organizations and the mobilization of their efforts into the Innocence Network. It also reviews the limited research on innocence organizations and it also explores literature in nonprofit branding and governance to provide an initial point of inquiry for the Network to identify and move forward its social mission. It concludes with recommendations drawn from the interdisciplinary research.
