Loyola Project for the Innocent Summer Program Celebrates 15 Years

Loyola Project for the Innocent (LPI) concluded its 15th summer program intensive experience that gives undergraduate, high school, and law students the opportunity to work alongside LPI attorneys on active wrongful conviction cases. 

Unique among wrongful conviction clinics, LPI’s summer program convenes students from across the United States to assist with real cases involving individuals serving life sentences in California prisons. The program is funded in part through the generous support of the Klein Family Foundation, longtime supporters of LPI’s mission to free the innocent and help train the next generation of advocates. 

“These young people are here because they want to be on the front line of helping those who society has forgotten and who the system seeks to silence,” said Judy and Steve Page Executive Director for LPI Joseph Trigilio. “We are offering them a chance to follow through on that commitment and feel what it is like to help right a terrible wrong.” 

Over the course of the summer, students worked in teams under attorney supervision, reviewing police reports and trial transcripts, preparing timelines, visiting crime scenes, helping locate witnesses, and assisting with the factual investigation necessary to prove innocence. Many of the cases involve convictions that occurred decades ago, dating as far back as 1979. 

“These cases involve very complex law,” said LPI Senior Director Adam Grant. “But more often, and more importantly, they are about common sense, understanding human behavior, and finding your humanity. And all these students can be great at that.” 

In addition to casework, this year’s students participated in a broad range of field experiences and professional programming designed to deepen their understanding of the criminal legal system and wrongful conviction work. Students visited Homeboy Industries, met with a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, toured the LA County Jail, and participated in brown bag lunches with practitioners, judges, and other stakeholders working in the field of wrongful convictions. Guest speakrs included former FBI agent and LAPD cold-case detective Scott Budnick, Commissioner for the Los Angeles Superior CourtAmy Goldman, and two formerly incarcerated individuals who could offer personal anecdotes on the journey from jail to exoneration. 

The Klein Family Foundation also supported two LPI summer fellows: Alaysia Barker-Vaughn ‘23, and Talia Yett, a recent graduate of Brown University.  

“I am grateful to have begun my legal journey in an environment where compassion is not separate from the practice of law but is its foundation,” Barker-Vaughn said. "Every assignment at LPI felt like an invitation to take part in meaningful work.”  

In its 15-year history, LPI has helped 23 men and women achieve freedom after collectively serving more than 500 years in prison for crimes they did not commit.  

Admission to the summer program continues to grow more competitive each year. This year, LPI attorneys reviewed more than 130 student applications and awarded 21 spots in the clinic. 

For more information about the LPI Summer Program, please see here.