A significant part of NCIP’s work involves screening inmate requests for assistance and identifying cases with viable innocence claims where there may be new evidence such as DNA or witness testimony to support such claims. Our case criteria are clear and our intake and investigation processes are rigorous.
Case Criteria
In order for NCIP to consider a case, a potential client must meet all of the following basic criteria:
- The person must be actually innocent of the crimes for which they are convicted
- There must be a significant chance that substantial new evidence may be found to support a claim of innocence
- The person must have been convicted of a serious felony in one of the 48 Northern and Central California counties from Monterey, Kings, Tulare and Inyo County up to the Oregon border
For NCIP to consider a client for representation, the person seeking assistance must submit a NCIP Initial Screening Questionnaire & Consent (Spanish Version). The applicant must fully complete the questionnaire in order for NCIP to properly review and evaluate the case. We are not equipped to handle case submissions by email, social media, or by phone. All submissions and follow-up correspondence will be handled by mail. Please do not call the NCIP office to inquire about the status of an application. Please mail the completed questionnaire and consent form directly to NCIP at:
Northern California Innocence Project
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95053
