The Montana Innocence Project fosters many reciprocal relationships throughout Montana and beyond to move our mission forward. The relationships we develop with volunteers and interns are a shining example.
MTIP serves as a clinical placement for law students and offers internships and practicum placements to students from the schools of journalism and social work. Students from those schools, along with paralegal and criminology students, assist the legal team with application and case review. Students gain skills, academic credit and a deeper understanding of the criminal justice system.
This National Internship Awareness Month, we’re spotlighting the work of MTIP’s remarkable volunteers and interns who bring fresh perspectives, dedication, and a strong purpose to this work.
Jennifer Burnett – MTIP Volunteer
Jennifer Burnett is a mother, teacher, children’s author, and tireless advocate for the wrongfully convicted. She has been a dedicated volunteer with the Montana Innocence Project for over three years, helping the legal team with reviewing applications for legal assistance and conducting in-depth research.
“I grew up volunteering, so it was always very important for me to partake in something where I could help people,” Jennifer shared. “I watched the film ‘The Innocent Man’ years ago, which really inspired me to begin looking more into wrongful convictions and seeing how I could get involved with the Montana Innocence Project.”
For Jennifer, one of the most rewarding aspects of her work with MTIP is the relationships she’s fostered with our team, as well as the new skills and insights she has gained about the criminal justice system and wrongful convictions.
“I love learning the new terms and theories, and saying ‘okay is this person on appeal?’ or ‘is this a habeas corpus?’ It’s a steep learning curve, but I am very passionate about law and justice so the work is incredibly interesting to me,” Jennifer said.
Jennifer emphasized the significance of supporting her community and the fulfillment that comes from helping others.
“We live in this world where everything is so fast paced and everyone is so ‘me me me,’ and I don’t think people realize how much gratification you get when you are helping other people,” Jennifer expressed. “And that can look so many different ways. So yes, me sitting behind the computer doing research may not seem like a lot, but it is so fulfilling to know that the work I’m doing helps support the busy attorneys and the other people at MTIP who are working so hard to get justice for wrongfully convicted Montanans.”
Will Dyekman – MTIP Clinical Student
Will Dyekman began working with MTIP in the fall of 2024 as a 3L clinical law student at the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana to further develop his skills as a future attorney.
“The main priority for me is legal research, examining old case documents, and seeing what legal theories we have to work with to help our clients,” Will said. “Another big component is doing a lot of reading and legal writing for the program.”
Will reflected on how his understanding of the criminal justice system has deepened through his work at MTIP sharing, “It’s been a huge adjustment because before this I had only worked with criminal defense and prosecution, so everything I knew about the criminal justice system kinda stopped at conviction. Getting to see the post-conviction world has been extremely eye opening. Learning about the prison conditions and how they operate in Montana has been really interesting, and to see just how much legal work goes on after a conviction is just insane to me.”
He expressed that the most valuable experience he has gained has been from his visits to the Montana state prisons with our legal team and directly interacting with our clients.
“The resolve and resilience they show is amazing, I can’t fathom being in prison for a crime I didn’t commit,” Will said. “To still have the energy and morale to fight it years later is so impressive to me.”
Will reflected on what MTIP means to him saying, “I think this work is so impactful. These are real people, with real stories, who have experienced real tragedies,” Will shared. “Getting to know them and learning from them has been incredibly valuable and important to me.”
Will aspires to utilize the insights he has gained at MTIP as he embarks on his career as an attorney, with a mission to reform the criminal justice system.
Stephanie Lynch – MTIP Volunteer
Stephanie Lynch is a graduate student at the University of Montana, pursuing her Masters in Public Administration with a focus on nonprofit management. She also has a background in criminal and social justice from her undergraduate education. Stephanie began working with MTIP in November of 2024 as a volunteer while she continued to pursue her degree.
“I am very passionate about criminal justice reform topics, particularly really looking critically at the use of imprisonment and sentencing policy that winds up having people be put in prison for very lengthy periods of time and maybe not necessarily helping them rehabilitate,” Stephanie said.
“I’ve heard about the Montana Innocence Project for years, and always been really interested in working with them in some way,” Stephanie expressed. “When I just started working on my MPA and I was in a class that had a service learning component, I had applied to work with MTIP and have been volunteering ever since.”
Stephanie works with the MTIP legal team on intake review, conducting initial investigation research, as well as drafting correspondence with applicants.
“I was not sure when I started doing this work that I was going to have the right expertise or be able to make much of a difference,” Stephanie admitted. “While I was very passionate and excited about it, I just wasn’t sure. But I think just the process of diving in, keeping an open mind, and looking objectively at all the facts and the law that’s associated with the charges made for each case, it really is a puzzle and so interesting to put all the pieces together.”
Encouraging others to volunteer, Stephanie shared, “For others that may feel intimidated, or feel like they don’t know enough, but are very passionate about the work, I encourage you to just do it. Everyone at MTIP is so great, and always answers all my questions or concerns. I think you will learn as you go, and the most important thing is really just feeling like you want to do this work and take part in the mission and community of the Montana Innocence Project.”
Brandon Clark – Former MTIP Spring Journalism Intern
Brandon Clark joined MTIP for a spring internship in 2024, while majoring in journalism for his undergraduate degree at the University of Montana School of Journalism. Brandon’s experience brought a unique perspective to the work, as he supported MTIP’s communications and legal team in filming and interviewing one of our clients, their family, and supporting community members to prepare for the client’s parole hearing.
“I had heard about the Montana Innocence Project from my former professor Dennis Swibold, when discussing journalism internships,” Brandon said. “I knew I wanted to work somewhere where I could make a difference, and I just felt like MTIP was a place that I could help make an impact.”
“Through my interviews, I was able to see how wrongful incarceration not only harms those who are convicted, but also affects their families, friends, and communities,” shared Brandon. “Seeing the true injustices that exist in the system was both heartbreaking and at the same time an enlightening experience for me.”
Brandon found his interactions with clients and their families to be deeply impactful, inspiring his decision to apply to the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana where he was admitted in the fall of 2024.
“As Americans many of us are raised to believe in the phrase ‘innocent until proven guilty,’ but the truth is there are so many people who are found guilty and incarcerated for crimes they never committed,” Brandon said. “There are so many things that can go wrong in the process of a trial, so many things that can be compromised through human error or through intentional and willful deceit by prosecutors or officers. It was very interesting for me to just have that firsthand knowledge that even when someone is convicted, if the evidence isn’t all there, or if new evidence comes out in the future you still have to fight for those people.”
Brandon believes that the skills and insights he gained while working with MTIP will significantly shape his legal education and career.
“One thing I took away from working with MTIP was an incredible sense of community, a sense that these people are in need of our help, and that we cannot give up until the truth comes out and they get the justice they deserve,” Brandon said.
Brandon hopes to continue working with MTIP as a clinical student as he moves forward with his education in law school.
As we celebrate National Internship Awareness Month, join us in honoring the work of MTIP’s volunteers and interns and their efforts to bring about justice and change in our society. Their experience and stories remind us of the importance of community and solidarity in the fight for equality and justice for all.
To learn more about how you can get involved with MTIP click here!