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Digital Evidence, Public Defense, and Wrongful Convictions
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Latest News and Updates
New Tech Unlocks Digital Evidence: Revisiting Locked and Damaged Phones
New Tech. New Evidence. New Hope. Locked or damaged phones were once dead ends for digital evidence. Devices returned from labs labeled “unreadable” or “inaccessible” often meant critical evidence was lost forever. Today, advances in forensic repair and hardware-level imaging provide a real chance to uncover previously inaccessible data—and potentially reshape a case. At Digital Innocence, we don’t extract data ourselves. Instead, we provide the knowledge, resources, and expert guidance needed to assess whether seized or damaged devices may still hold evidence critical to justice. 🔧 What’s Changed: Cutting-Edge Forensic Tools Forensic technology has advanced rapidly. It’s important to understand [...]
New Evidence from Old Devices: How KaiOS Phones Can Overturn Convictions
Millions of Phones. Untapped Evidence.KaiOS Devices Hold Critical Data That Could Help Prove Innocence In post-conviction work, evidence that was once overlooked can become the key to justice. One frequently missed source? KaiOS phones—the "smart" flip phones that were widely used, yet rarely examined in legal investigations. Over 150 million KaiOS devices have been sold globally, including millions across the United States. These phones were especially common in low-income and rural communities, where traditional smartphones were financially out of reach. This is exactly where many public defenders operate—serving clients disproportionately affected by outdated technology and forensic blind spots. 📵 The [...]
The Scope: Hundreds of Millions of Devices, Millions of Affected Defendants
Missed Digital Evidence? There’s a Way Back In Why Public Defenders Should Revisit Old iPhones in Serious Felony and Post-Conviction Cases In criminal defense, timing often dictates what evidence is accessible—and what isn’t. For years, many iPhones were considered unreadable if passcodes were unknown. That barrier shut defense teams out of crucial digital evidence in thousands of serious felony and homicide cases. Today, that barrier has been broken. Thanks to a forensic breakthrough called checkm8, public defenders now have a reliable way to access and analyze older iPhones—without the passcode. This development opens the door for post-conviction relief and strengthens [...]
A Pathway to Justice: The First Post-Conviction Review Criteria for Digital Evidence
In today’s criminal justice landscape, digital evidence plays a central role in most cases—but it is rarely revisited after a conviction. At the Digital Innocence Initiative, we identified a critical gap. While DNA evidence has long-established post-conviction review protocols, no standards existed for digital evidence—despite its increasing influence in courtrooms and its role in numerous exonerations. That’s why we developed the first post-conviction review criteria for digital evidence—a national framework tailored for public defenders and post-conviction teams to identify, re-analyze, and re-investigate digital evidence that could be key to proving innocence. Why Post-Conviction Review of Digital Evidence Matters Public [...]
From Local Reform to National Impact: Advancing Justice Through Digital Forensic Support for Public Defenders
Wrongful convictions don’t just happen—they result from structural failures. In the digital age, one of the most urgent and overlooked causes is the lack of technical capacity on the defense side. Misapplied digital forensics and unchallenged government evidence often stem from a deep knowledge and resource gap—especially in public defense and post-conviction work. At Digital Innocence, we were founded to close that gap. What began as a focused effort to support defense teams in Connecticut has grown into a national mission: ensuring public defenders have the tools and support they need to deliver effective representation in the digital age. The [...]
Big Impact Starts with Small Action and Refusing to Look Away
When I first used digital evidence to help a public defender, it was just one case. One person. One situation where something felt off—and where digital records told a very different story. I didn’t expect it to lead anywhere. But then it happened again. Another case. Another person. And again, digital evidence made the difference. That’s when I realized this wasn’t about one person anymore. It was about a system failing many. This was a chance to help a lot of people. Because in case after case, I saw the same pattern: Digital evidence was available—but it wasn’t being used. [...]
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