Founded in 2001, Innocence Project New Orleans (IPNO) is one of the oldest and most successful innocence organizations in the United States. The nonprofit team works to free innocent people who were unjustly sentenced to life in prison, as well as support their transition to freedom. Since executive director Jee Park joined the organization in 2018, the team has freed or exonerated 34 people. “That is one of my proudest things: to bring home someone who should not be in prison,” said Park.
IPNO recently launched a new program called the Unjust Punishment Project. In 2020, the team recognized that many people were serving excessive sentences for nonviolent crimes. One inmate, for instance, was serving a life sentence for marijuana. Another client was serving a 23-year sentence for stealing two shirts from Saks Fifth Avenue. Since launching the Unjust Punishment Project in 2020, they have freed 28 people who were convicted of nonviolent crimes serving these excessive life sentences (or near-life sentences).
The IPNO team always provided some form of reentry support for their clients, and these services expanded in recent years. Their full-fledged client services support unit includes a social worker and two client advocates who help their clients transition into freedom. “Freedom can be really daunting, and it is a lot to take in when you have been in prison for 10, 15, or 20 years,” said Park.
This division ensures the transition is as smooth as possible. They may connect clients with benefits such as food stamps, Medicare or Medicaid, and help getting a job. In addition, the team provides clients with a phone and a year’s worth of service, because most everything – from job applications to apartment rentals – now requires a phone. Along those lines, clients receive training for digital literacy, as well as financial literacy. This holistic support is designed to help clients navigate freedom, and the team understands that the reentry process can be challenging.
The IPNO team is always looking to grow and help more people. At the moment, they are strengthening their current programming and reaching out to supporters, donors, and foundations about their work. In addition, their partnership with the LSU Law Center gives the team a chance to work with law students, teach them about the ways a criminal legal system can result in wrongful convictions, and give them the tools to assist people who need their help in prison.
Although the team is based in New Orleans, they work all across Louisiana. As Park explained, they recognize that the cases, legal system, and laws are all interconnected in the state of Louisiana, so it makes sense for the organization to have a statewide impact. Overall, the IPNO team is dedicated to helping those serving unjust sentences, wherever they may be located.
“I think it is important for folks to know that our criminal legal system is frail in some ways, and we can get it wrong,” said Park. “If we do get it wrong, it harms not only the person who is wrongly convicted and incarcerated, but also the entire family and the community.” She encourages people to keep an open mind about the criminal legal system, how it works, and how important it is to be fair, diligent, and open-minded.
IPNO offers plenty of opportunities for volunteering. Many volunteers come in on a regular basis to help with letter-writing, administrative tasks, and organization.
Because the IPNO team supports over fifty clients on a regular basis, they welcome leads on potential jobs or different job programming activities. Sometimes they send out a call to the community for furniture or donated household goods to help folks who are transitioning to living in their own apartment. On occasion, IPNO’s two-bedroom reentry house in Algiers needs some physical work such as lawn care or a fresh coat of paint to welcome the arrival of a new client.
For the most part, there are plenty of ways to support IPNO and their mission. Visit their website and follow them on social media to stay updated.
Get Involved
The organization’s gala event every September relies on a significant amount of volunteer support. Volunteers help gather and solicit auction items, set up and break down the event space, and work the registration events. The large, well-attended event is an excellent way for community members to get involved with the organization.
