The Manchester Innocence Project is a pro-bono organisation based in the Justice Hub at the University of Manchester.

The Project was established in 2020 when the ‘Miscarriage of Justice Review Centre’ was accepted into the US-based Innocence Network. The Project is one of only 13 non-US based members of the Network, and one of only two projects in England and Wales. It is a staff-student collaboration aimed at helping the wrongfully convicted and promoting positive change in the justice system. University of Manchester students have the opportunity to gain a practical insight into the legal system and the unique issues affecting those who suffer a miscarriage of justice.

As a member of the wider Innocence Project organisation, students with the Manchester Innocence Project are part of a global organisation seeking to promote justice across the world. The Innocence Project is also part of the Wrongful Convictions International taskforce. Since its inception, the Task Force has submitted over 15 reports to the United Nations Human Rights Commission, with further work actively underway.

Listen to first hand accounts from the falsely accused in our podcast series via The Innocence Podcast. Two new podcasts have recently been released one of which focuses on Oliver Campbell who spent 30 years trying to clear his name after being wrongfully convicted of murder and the other focuses on Tom Hayes the city trader who fought to clear his name for a decade after being jailed for manipulating so-called Libor interest rates, used for loans between banks. The podcast series features interviews with other high profile cases. The podcast series is presented and researched by Kylie Pentelow, English journalist and television news presenter with Professor Claire McGourlay, Professor in Legal Education, from the University of Manchester as Executive Producer.

• Listen to the podcast here