Dr Louise Hewitt has worked as a lecturer in law at the University of Greenwich since 2011. Louise’s passion for enhancing the student experience through her work on the Innocence Project London has helped to engage students in developing a critical perspective of the criminal justice system in England. Louise co-founded the Innocence Project London (IPL) and has gone on to become its Director, turning it into a registered charity in August 2020. Starting off with five students and one case, Louise now leads 35 students working across seven cases. She has grown the IPL into a globally recognised innocence organisation that provides a placement opportunity for criminology students studying at Greenwich and an internship opportunity for students from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA.
The unique pedagogy of learning that Louise has created for the IPL combines experiential learning with elements of work based learning to create an employer/employee environment. IPL students benefit from a rewarding experience that develops transferrable skills and enhances their confidence, whilst at the same time creating a sense of belonging between them all. Becoming a trustee of the Clinical Legal Education Organisation has enhanced Louise's passion to get innocence work recognised as clinical legal education. The IPL provides the distinct opportunity for students to deconstruct a claim of innocence and scrutinise the evidence that was used to convict the individual.
Louise’s enthusiasm in creating awareness of innocence work goes beyond higher education. She has developed a partnership with international law firm Weil and Gotshal, whose lawyers work pro bono to assess the applications made to the IPL. Louise is constantly looking for innovative opportunities for her IPL students and using the critical thinking exercise she created, students have been able to train qualified lawyers in how to assess applications. The same exercise is now used at open days for the School of Law and Criminology where IPL students interact with prospective students and their families.
