Freeing the Innocent

Martin Yant’s experience, expertise and dedication in freeing the innocent is unparalleled. Mr. Yant works closely with the nation’s Innocence Projects, as well as with other advocacy groups and individuals dedicated to freeing the wrongly convicted.

Mr. Yant’s investigations have helped free 12 wrongly convicted individuals, including two men originally sentenced to death who spent 26 years in prison and a couple incarcerated for 12 years for crimes that never occurred. One of Mr. Yant’s most recent successes was the nationally publicized case of convicted murderer Clarence Elkins, who was released from prison in December 2005 when DNA tests Mr. Yant initiated identified the true killer.

In 2005, The Washington Post named Mr. Yant’s book Presumed Guilty one of the most important books on miscarriages of justice ever published. Writer Steve Weinberg said Yant “is as important for his relentless tracking of wrongful convictions as he is for this much-needed survey of cases.”

Mr. Yant is on the board of directors of Truth in Justice, an organization that seeks to heighten public awareness of the epidemic of wrongful convictions through the web site truthinjustice.org.