Georgia Innocence Project

After fighting his wrongful incarceration for nearly 21 years, Marquez Powell was finally fully exonerated and free on June 18, 2026! Marquez Powell was wrongfully convicted in 2008 for a murder in Atlanta, Georgia, that he did not commit. He was only 20 years old when the State alleged that he participated in a plan to rob his best friend who was fatally shot by someone else. We are elated to welcome Marquez into Georgia's community of innocent freed and exonerated people.

To support Marquez's private GoFundMe, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-marquez-powell.

Read more about Marquez and his case at georgiainnocenceproject.org/freed-client/marquez-powell

Today marks the 27th anniversary of Calvin C. Johnson Jr.'s freedom!

On June 15, 1999, Calvin Johnson was released from prison after 16 years of wrongful incarceration after DNA testing cleared his name. Represented by The Innocence Project in New York, Calvin was the first person in Georgia to be exonerated using DNA evidence. Calvin soon became a steadfast partner of Georgia Innocence Project when we were founded in 2002.

Join us in honoring Calvin's Freedom Anniversary with a gift to his memorial fund which provides reentry support to fellow freed Georgians: https://www.georgiainnocenceproject.org/act/calvin-c-johnson-jr-memorial-fund/

We are excited to announce that Bailey McGovern has been selected for a 2026-2028 Equal Justice Works Fellowship at Georgia Innocence Project, sponsored by the Georgia Bar Foundation! This coming fall 2026, she will support our initiatives to leverage generative AI technology in assessing official misconduct and engage in community-based policy advocacy. We are grateful for this opportunity to add another talented legal member to the team. Congratulations, Bailey!

Learn more about the program at equaljusticeworks.org.

Thank you to our amazing community for attending Georgia Innocence Project’s inaugural Sweet Freedom! What a joyful afternoon to be together, honoring Georgia’s freed community, and supporting the work to free innocent people in Georgia.

Thanks to many generous supporters, we raised over $34,000 to support the continued work of correcting and preventing wrongful convictions in Georgia! We’re grateful to everyone who made this special event possible.

Stay tuned for more photos in the coming weeks!

Tiffany Bush, Pro Bono Coordinating Attorney at Georgia Innocence Project, facilitated the 'BIPOC Staff Leadership Retreat' and 'Searching for Synergy: Abolitionist Community within the Innocence Network' breakout session (pictured left to right: Tiffany, John Marlow, Stephanie Spurgeon, and Marriam Oliver), at the recent Innocence Network Conference in Chicago. She had a great time connecting about BIPOC resistance in innocence space, as well as, discussing practical solutions to incorporate into innocence work to avoid inadvertently reinforcing harms.

📷 credit: Innocence Project of Florida

We sat down with Susan Hurd to learn more about her background, her work at Alston & Bird, and her pro bono experience supporting Georgia Innocence Project's case-screening efforts.

Pro bono partners are essential to our mission. If you’re curious about what Georgia Innocence Project’s pro bono partners make possible, exploring a legal career with impact, or simply interested in the people behind our work, read our latest blog post at georgiainnocenceproject.org/general/susan-hurd-2026/.

Do you have your Sweet Freedom 2026 tickets? Georgia Innocence Project’s newest event is just one week away!

Last chance tickets are available now: givebutter.com/sweetfreedom2026

Here's a behind-the-scenes glimpse of our legal team. The pictured Working Group meets regularly to discuss applications for assistance and to determine whether cases move forward to screening. Since our founding in 2002, we have received over 9,200 applications for assistance.

Through Georgia Innocence Project’s Reentry & Long-Term Support Services, members of the freed community like Jeffrey receive vital assistance to rebuild their lives. He began 2026 with a new job and a new place to live.

Donate to provide essential services for members of the freed community in housing, job assistance, technology literacy, counseling, and more.

georgiainnocenceproject.org/act/donate/