The Justice Project is focused on three main goals in Texas designed to fight the epidemic of wrongful convictions and to increase fairness and accuracy in the Texas criminal justice system: improving the quality of evidence in criminal cases; creating a mechanism to review errors in cases of wrongful conviction; and reforming the Texas indigent defense system.

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We coordinate a coalition of Texas-based advocates to raise awareness of and propose solutions to systemic problems plaguing the Texas criminal justice system, with a focus on indigent defense. Our public education, litigation support and legislative reform efforts address the underlying causes that lead to wrongful convictions and highlight the need for a fair and accurate system.

In June 2006, The Justice Project opened an office in Austin, Texas. The office is headed by Edwin Colfax, Texas Policy Director.

The Justice Project
Austin Office
510 S. Congress Ave. #304
Austin, TX 78704
PH 512-391-2320
FX 512-391-2330

  • Texas Reform News

    • Latest Texas Forensic Flap Shows Major Gaps in Oversight of Scientific Evidence
    Texas has seen more than its share of controversy surrounding forensic science in recent months.

    Most recently, the Houston Chronicle reported that an audit of the Houston Crime Lab’s fingerprint division identified problems in more than half of the 548 cases selected for review. The problems discovered were serious enough to lead the authorities to require that more than 4000 violent crime cases from the past six years be reanalyzed… >>Continue reading

    Cole Pardon a Stark Reminder of the Need to Fix Eyewitness Procedures
    On March 1 Texas Governor Rick Perry officially pardoned Timothy Cole, who was wrongfully convicted over two decades ago. Tragically, the DNA tests that proved Cole’s innocence came too late: he died in prison in 1999 while serving time for a rape he did not commit. A faulty lineup led to inaccurate eyewitness evidence in Cole’s case, which serves as a reminder of the urgent need for eyewitness identification reforms that increase reliability and reduce the risk of mistakes. >>Continue reading

    How Many More Innocent People Aren’t So Lucky?
    Texas has made many headlines in recent years for the spate of exonerations of wrongfully convicted men. In most of these cases, fortuitous turns of events, along with the hard work of innocence advocates, led to solid proof that eyewitness evidence was mistaken. The same is true in this case, in which a Dallas judge released two men based on evidence developed by students at two of the state’s university-based innocence projects.  >>Continue reading

    Texas Reform News Archive


    TJP’s Texas Reports

    Convicting the InnocentConvicting the Innocent: Texas Justice Derailed
    In March, The Justice Project released Convicting the Innocent: Texas Justice Derailed. The report detailed how Texas leads the nation with 39 cases of wrongful conviction exposed by DNA. Since the report was published, at least two more innocent people have been rescued from Texas prisons based on DNA testing. Read about the latest exonerations.

    Electronic Recording of Custodial Interrogations in Texas: A Review of Current Statutes, Practices, and Policies
    A reviewable record of an interrogation is invaluable to judges and juries forced to settle disputes about what took place in the interrogation room. The Justice Project surveyed Texas police departments to determine if they record interrogations and why. Read the report and learn more about the problems.

    Eyewitness Identification Policies in Texas
    The Justice Project released an extensive survey of existing police polices for conducting lineups in Texas. The study documented an alarmingly high percentage of departments with no written guidelines at all, much less implementation of best practices recommended by the United States Department of Justice and other organizations. Read the report and learn about recent developments within Texas.

    Show-Ups in Texas: A Review of Single-Suspect Eyewitness Identification Policies
    Single-suspect identification procedures, or show-ups, are inherently suggestive and should only be used when necessary and with proper safeguards. The Justice Project has released a report based on an extensive review of police agency policies regarding show-ups. The study documents an alarming lack of written policies for show-ups, with only a tiny fraction implementing key best practices endorsed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Read the full report.