Welcome to the Veritas Initiative website. Launched in the fall of 2010 with the release of the most comprehensive statewide study ever undertaken on prosecutorial misconduct in both state and federal courts, the Veritas Initiative is the ongoing watchdog entity of the Northern California Innocence Project (NCIP) at the Santa Clara University School of Law. The Veritas Initiative is dedicated to advancing the integrity of our justice system by researching and providing critical data that shines a light on such crucial issues as the aforementioned misconduct of public prosecutors. Through its relentless research efforts conducted by leading experts from NCIP, the Veritas Initiative foresees its first and future studies serving as major catalysts for reform.
The Veritas Report on Prosecutorial Conduct
The American Bar Association states the prosecutor has a duty different from other advocates- not to simply convict, but to seek justice. While many prosecutors conscientiously do their job with the integrity, there are some that commit misconduct. Ways in which a prosecutor can commit misconduct include improperly examining witnesses, making improper arguments to a [...]
Compensating the wrongfully convicted
Those who have served time in prison for crimes they did not commit deserve to be compensated for their ordeal. The impact of incarceration is devastating; defendants lose much more than their freedom. In addition to the pain of separation from friends and family, imprisonment can result in loss of education, employment, job skills, earnings [...]
The latest on DNA and wrongful conviction
Over 250 people have been exonerated through the use of DNA testing. While DNA has become the golden standard, experts estimate that only 5-10% of all criminal cases involve biological evidence that could be subjected to DNA testing. This means that in 90-95% of all criminal cases, DNA testing is not an option. Therefore, law [...]
Eyewitness Testimony Research
Eyewitness misidentification is the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions nationwide. This is particularly troubling given that eyewitness testimony can be incredibly persuasive to a jury. Eyewitness identification is susceptible to error, either due to the surroundings where the witness sees the crime and the procedures for making an official identification with law enforcement. Over [...]
