Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project
The Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project (MAIP) is dedicated to correcting and preventing the conviction of innocent people in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
The Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project (MAIP) is a life-saving resource for many residents of the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland. MAIP fights injustice by bringing free, comprehensive legal assistance to regional residents facing wrongful convictions and incarceration. To create a brighter, more just future for our region, MAIP directly engages our legal, judicial, and law enforcement leaders to educate them and the public of the problems that can lead to these wrongful convictions and incarcerations. To date, MAIP has secured the exoneration or release of 44 innocent men. These men spent a total of more than 889 years in prison—lost years with their children and families, and as active members of their communities—a massive injury to justice. Follow us for updates about exonerations, preventing wrongful convictions, and news of the Innocence movement in the United States and around the world. With the generous support of individuals like you the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project has exonerated scores of innocent people and worked around the country to reform our criminal justice system. You too can support our work by donating to the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project: https://exonerate.org/donate/
If you are interested in talking to MAIP about your case or your loved one's, please write us. Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project
1413 K St NW Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
09/28/2026
Today, 40 states have laws providing compensation to exonerees. Just this year, Maryland took important steps to improve their exoneree compensation laws. This is a crucial piece in correcting wrongful conviction and contributing to providing what is needed for exonerees to start rebuilding their lives.
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09/25/2026
The effects of wrongful conviction continue long after people return home. People who spent an average of 20 years wrongfully incarcerated and have been home for an average of 13 years self-report that they are still feeling the long-term impacts on their financial well-being.
Our exoneree support program works with exonerees to provide the resources they need to aid in getting back on their feet. This can include help establishing healthcare, employment, rent, and much more.
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09/24/2026
SAVE THE DATE📆
Our annual fundraising event, Evening of Light will take place on Friday, May 21, 2027, at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. This powerful evening will spotlight conversations with loved ones of the wrongfully convicted capturing what it is like to watch someone you love get arrested for a crime they did not commit and providing a look inside the fight from the voices of the people who had to become advocates, investigators, and regular courtroom attendees in order to bring their family home.
We hope you will join us!
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09/23/2026
📣 Awareness for Wrongful Conviction Day
People exonerated in 2025 spent an average of 13.8 years wrongfully incarcerated. That’s because wrongful convictions are incredibly difficult to prove and overturn, requiring significant resources like costly DNA testing, expert consultants, extensive investigation, and more.
On , fund the fight for justice.
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09/23/2026
Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the resilience, culture, and contributions of the Hispanic and Latino communities. It is also a time to acknowledge the deep disparities they face in the criminal legal system.
Hispanic individuals are overrepresented in U.S. prisons—often due to language barriers, lack of access to quality legal defense, and systemic bias.
According to UCLA’s Law Review 40% of Hispanic exonerees who falsely confessed to crimes said they did not understand spoken English.
Justice should never depend on your background, language, or zip code.
This month, stand with us as we celebrate heritage and fight for a fairer system.
09/22/2026
Did you know? 💡
There are many common barriers to accessing justice and legal help. Some of these barriers are financial and some are a result of complexities in our legal system. We work to help the wrongfully convicted overcome these barriers by providing free legal services in Maryland, DC, and Virginia.
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09/21/2026
📣Wrongful Conviction Day is next Friday, October 2!
Stay tuned to our socials in the days ahead as we raise awareness about wrongful convictions, honor those who have been impacted, and advocate for a more just legal system.
Awareness. Reform. Impact.
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On September 18, 2017, MAIP and co-counsel David Benowitz of Price Benowitz, LLP filed a joint motion with the prosecution to vacate Lamar’s conviction. One day later, on September 19, 2017, the motion was granted and the charges were dismissed. After 13 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, Lamar was finally free. He walked into the loving arms of his family and friends and enjoyed his first meal free at McDonalds.
Today, Lamar is celebrating nine years of freedom. Join us in wishing Lamar a 9th !
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09/18/2026
History of the Innocence Movement📖
In 1993, The Innocence Project celebrated their first exoneration from death row through post-conviction DNA testing.
Kirk Bloodsworth was wrongfully convicted in 1985 of sexual assault and murder based on eyewitness misidentification and government misconduct.
In 1992, the prosecution agreed to submit biological evidence for a then-emerging DNA technology known as PCR (polymerase chain reaction) - this testing excluded Bloodsworth.
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09/17/2026
“The palm print didn’t belong to Ray Andrews, David Faulkner, or Jonathan Smith, and DNA testing on fingernail scrapings from the victim excluded them. Instead, they were convicted based on the word of a witness who testified in exchange for reward money, the coerced confessions of two of the men (Smith and Andrews, the latter of whom pled guilty and testified against Faulkner and Smith), and the testimony of two “jailhouse snitches.”
None of these accounts matched each other or the crime scene, but without an alternative suspect, Faulkner and Smith were convicted.” - Shawn Armbrust, Executive Director, explaining that sometimes even physical evidence isn't enough to stop wrongful conviction.
Read Shawn's full reflection on our Substack today and stay tuned for part 2!
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