Wrongful Conviction Expert Launches Foundation to Help Exonerate Innocent Prisoners

It is estimated that 2.3 million people are currently incarcerated in the United States, and approximately 2 – 10% (40,000 – 230,000) are wrongfully convicted. Since a majority of wrongful conviction cases do not have DNA evidence, it can sometimes take years, even decades, to prove the innocence of a wrongfully convicted person. However, such legal personnel cannot afford to work pro bono long-term and most convicted persons seeking exoneration cannot afford legal representation.

Launching in October 2020, Timothy T. Williams, Jr. Foundation for Wrongful Convictions (TTWFWC) is making history by providing attorneys, experts, and criminal investigators with grant funding that embraces their prevailing industry rates to work as teams on state and federal wrongful conviction cases nationwide. TTWFWC sets itself apart by funding the exoneration process from beginning to end. TTWFWC will also provide continuing education and professional development workshops to the next generation of expert witnesses, criminal investigators, and attorneys.

Also, as an author and retired Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Senior Detective Supervisor, with more than 46 years of experience working in the criminal justice system, Mr. Williams is the perfect person to launch such a historic endeavor. “I am delighted to support International Wrongful Conviction Day! Moreover, I decided to launch a project that will fund legal teams that include lawyers, experts, and criminal investigators to scale up pro bono efforts that can save lives,” says Williams.

Since the debut of his consultancy practice in 2003, T.T. Williams, Jr., Investigations, Inc., Mr. Williams has provided expert testimony in more than 200 cases in Criminal, State and Federal Courts nationwide. Also, he has analyzed over 1,300 cases. Most notably, Williams’ expert analysis in the wrongful murder conviction of Kash D. Register helped to lead to the largest reported settlement, at that time, in an individual civil rights case in the history of Los Angeles, totaling $16.7 million in restitution in 2016.

Timothy T. Williams, Jr. Foundation for Wrongful Convictions has been endorsed by some of the most recognizable names in law, including Loyola Law School’s Project for the Innocent (LPI) and award-winning trial lawyer Thomas Mesereau.