Tennessee Innocence Project to hold Chattanooga event

Representatives with the Tennessee Innocence Project. (Courtesy: Tennessee Innocence Project)

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- A non-profit law firm that works to exonerate convicts will be making their way to Chattanooga.

The Tennessee Innocence Project has represented incarcerated individuals throughout their appeals process throughout the state at no cost.

The executive director and lead counsel for the project, Jessica Van Dyke, said, “We provide legal services for individuals who are saying, “I did not commit this crime, I am actually innocent.””

They say these services are critical due to how the state legal system handles appeals.

Van Dyke said, “In Tennessee, if you’re convicted of a crime, you are not guaranteed you will have an attorney through the appellate process. And if you do have an attorney, they may be paid a very low rate of pay, they may not receive the things that they need to prove that you’re actually innocent. So they’re not entitled to interview investigators or expert witnesses, and that’s a service that we provide.”

When the project comes to Chattanooga, they will be arriving with Joyce Watkins.

Watkins is one of six individuals to have had their convictions overturned while represented by an attorney with the Innocence Project.

She had spent 27 years in prison for a murder and sexual assault that Van Dyke says did not happen.

Van Dyke said, “She was convicted based on inaccurate medical testimony, and that was a medical examiner who gave testimony at the 11th hour, right in the middle of trial, that medical examiner changed their opinion and based on the timing of the injuries, and said that based on the timing of the injuries, Joyce and her partner at the time, Charlie, would have been the ones to inflict that injury.”

They will be showcasing Watkins and other stories at their Chattanooga event on April 18th at Miller and Martin at 832 Georgia Avenue, which will be open to the public.

They say that this is a chance for anyone who may have loved one wrongfully convicted to change their lives.

Van Dyke said, “When we got started in 2019, we were far behind the curve compared to other states with a similar prison population, so this is our chance, our opportunity to share who we serve, why we serve them, and how the public can be more aware of the possibility of wrongful convictions.”