Centurion

What Centurion does

Centurion is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1983 by Jim McCloskey in Princeton, New Jersey. It is the first organization in the world dedicated to the vindication of the wrongly convicted, focusing exclusively on individuals serving life or death sentences for crimes they did not commit. The organization takes on the hardest cases — those lacking DNA evidence — and has completed 72 releases since inception, with clients having served an average of 20 years in prison before exoneration.

Centurion operates as a single integrated service organization offering three interconnected core capabilities: (1) comprehensive field re-investigations of innocence claims, including uncovering lost evidence, finding new evidence, convincing coerced witnesses to come forward, and overturning false confessions; (2) free legal representation at post-conviction habeas trials or retrials by skilled post-conviction attorneys; and (3) post-release support services including financial assistance, connections to local services for jobs, housing, and medical/psychological care, and mentorship through its exoneree network. The organization does not rely on proprietary technology; its work is centered on human expertise in criminal defense investigation and legal advocacy. It maintains a case submission portal that receives approximately 1,100 new requests per year, with 21 active cases and roughly 100 cases in various stages of development.

The organization's revenue model is based primarily on charitable donations, supplemented by merchandise and book sales (including "Framed" co-authored with John Grisham). All legal representation is provided free of charge to clients. The average cost to free an innocent person through Centurion's work is approximately $350,000, covering investigation, legal fees, and post-release support. The organization serves individuals across the United States and Canada, using a community-led go-to-market approach driven by referrals from the wrongfully convicted community, media coverage, and partnerships with other innocence organizations.

Name

Centurion

Legal name

Centurion

Website

https://centurion.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Centurion is a nonprofit organization that works to free innocent people who have been wrongfully convicted of death or life imprisonment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Princeton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a national nonprofit 501c3 organization, Centurion relies primarily on donations from generous supporters to fund its operations, investigations, and client support services.
2. Merchandise and Book Sales: The organization operates a shop selling merchandise and has published books (including 'Framed' co-authored with John Grisham) that generate revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Centurion is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides free legal representation and investigative services to individuals who have been wrongfully convicted and are serving life or death sentences. The organization takes on hard cases without requiring DNA evidence, conducting comprehensive field re-investigations, and also provides post-release support services including financial assistance and community connections.

Product overview

Centurion Ministries is a national nonprofit 501c3 organization that operates as a single integrated service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organization offers three interconnected core services: wrongful conviction investigation (conducting comprehensive field re-investigations), free legal representation (providing post-conviction habeas trials and retrials), and post-release support services (financial assistance and connections to community services). Additional offerings include a case submission portal, the Framed book published in October 2024, newsletter subscriptions, and a merchandise store.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wrongful Conviction Investigation Services Comprehensive field re-investigations of wrongful conviction cases to prove client innocence without requiring particular evidence types such as DNA. The majority of cases lack scientific evidence probative of innocence, and Centurion takes on the toughest cases using its expertise across the United States and Canada.
• Legal Representation Free legal representation provided by skilled post-conviction attorneys to clients across the United States and Canada at habeas trials or retrials. The legal team represents innocent clients at every stage of state and federal post-conviction proceedings and appeals.
• Post-Release Support Services Financial support, connections to local services for jobs, housing, medical and psychological care, and mentorship through Centurion's exoneree network for individuals who have been freed after wrongful imprisonment.
• Case Submission Portal Online portal for wrongfully incarcerated individuals or their representatives to submit cases for review. Centurion reviews approximately 1,100 new requests each year.
• Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions Book co-authored by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey containing 10 stories of wrongful convictions, now available in paperback via Amazon. Sales contribute to Centurion's fundraising efforts.
• Merch Store Online store selling merchandise including the Framed book, apparel, and other items, with promotional offers like BOGO deals, to support the organization.

Quantifiable outcome

• 72 exonerations of individuals serving life or death sentences since 1983
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• John GrishamflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024John Grisham, bestselling legal thriller author, teamed up with Centurion founder Jim McCloskey to co-author 'Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions' published in October 2024. Grisham joined Centurion's board and has been an exoneration activist. He delivered a speech at a Centurion gala in 2009, leading to their collaboration.
• Great North Innocence ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Centurion for over a decade on Brian Pippitt's case. The Great North Innocence Project, based in Minneapolis, worked alongside Centurion to secure Pippitt's freedom after 25 years of wrongful imprisonment.
• Innocence ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohn Grisham joined the board of the Innocence Project. The Innocence Project is a related organization in the broader innocence movement. While not explicitly described as a formal partnership, there is ideological and tactical alignment.
• Barbara Bradley HagertycoreOthersAward-winning religion journalist who wrote two stories for the Atlantic about Ben Spencer's case after being connected to Jim McCloskey. Her book 'Bringing Ben Home' was published in August 2024, documenting Spencer's case and the fight for wrongful conviction reform.
• Errol MorrisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroundbreaking documentary filmmaker ('The Thin Blue Line') who is executive-producing a film about Ben Spencer's case. He has provided access to his Dallas archives containing hundreds of hours of interviews with Dallas law enforcement figures.
• Miles of FreedomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization founded by Richard Miles, a Centurion exoneree who spent 15 years wrongfully imprisoned in Texas. Miles of Freedom provides re-entry and support services to recently released men and women in the Dallas area. Cheryl Wattley served on the founding Board of Directors.

Scale indicators6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Innocence Project: The largest and best-known innocence organization in the US, founded in 1992 at Cardozo Law School. Directly comparable to Centurion as it provides post-conviction investigation and legal representation to wrongfully convicted individuals; the two organizations share the broader innocence movement and overlapping donor base.
• Midwestern Innocence Project: A regional innocence organization based in Kansas City that investigates and litigates wrongful conviction claims primarily in Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa. Directly comparable to Centurion's investigation and legal representation services, though narrower geographically.
• Great North Innocence Project: Minneapolis-based innocence organization that collaborated with Centurion for over a decade on Brian Pippitt's case. Comparable as a regional innocence NGO providing investigation and post-conviction legal services; already a documented Centurion partner.
• National Innocence Center: Houston-based organization focused on DNA-based exoneration and post-conviction relief across multiple states. Comparable to Centurion's wrongful conviction investigation work, though with a heavier DNA-evidence orientation.
• California Innocence Project: California-based innocence clinic at Cal State Fullerton that investigates and litigates wrongful conviction claims. Directly comparable to Centurion's core investigation and legal representation services, focused on California cases.
• Witness to Innocence: National organization of death row exonerees and their families that advocates against the death penalty. Comparable mission alignment with Centurion's wrongful conviction work, particularly on death sentence cases; shares the exoneration storytelling and advocacy space.

Regional players

• Innocence Project of Texas: Texas-based innocence organization that has worked on notable Texas exonerations including cases involving Richard Miles. Comparable mission and service model to Centurion, focused on Texas cases where several Centurion clients were wrongfully convicted.

Emerging players

• After Innocence: Organization focused specifically on post-release support for exonerees, mirroring the post-release support services function Centurion provides. Comparable as an innocence-adjacent nonprofit but with narrower scope than Centurion's end-to-end model.
• Miles of Freedom: Dallas-based re-entry and support organization founded by Richard Miles, a Centurion exoneree. Comparable to Centurion's post-release support services function, though narrower in geographic scope and re-entry focus.

Broad incumbents

• Equal Justice Initiative: Bryan Stevenson-led organization focused on criminal justice reform, exonerations, and challenging excessive punishment. Broader in scope than Centurion but operates in the same criminal justice reform space and has executed high-profile exoneration work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CenturionFree
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=HAskmPbV6ec
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centurion-ministries
• Facebookfacebook.com/freedomfortheinnocent

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Centurion