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Wrongful Conviction

Illustration by Julia Kuo
Closing Argument
In 2022, Exonerations Hit a Record High in the U.S.
Globally, potential innocence has long outweighed potential guilt. That philosophy of justice may not be one that the majority of Americans endorse.
A Black man, wearing a blue striped button-down shirt and black tie, sits with an emotional look on his face and eyes closed. A White female lawyer, sitting on his right, is looking down and smiling while patting him on his back. A White male lawyer, sitting on his left, is smiling while clapping his hands.
An illustration shows a Black man in a white T-shirt with his arms around an older Black woman in a polka-dotted shirt and an older Black man in a newsboy cap and black T-shirt. The left side of the illustration shows a freeway, with trees at the edge of the road.
Life Inside May 12
My Brother Was Wrongfully Convicted for Murder. 20 Years Later, So Was My Son.
Although it was a coincidence, I knew it wasn’t a mistake. What Louisiana was doing to men like my brother Elvis and my son Cedric was intentional.
By Earline Brooks Colbert, as told to
A portrait of a White man smiling and wearing a tank top is mounted inside of a picture frame.
Inside Story February 23
Police Shootings in Rural America
We investigate police shootings in rural areas and speak with music executive Jason Flom about his work with people who were wrongfully convicted.
By and
Steven Lopez, a 48-year-old man with medium-dark toned skin and wearing a suit, looks teary-eyed as he listens during a court hearing.
Closing Argument July 30, 2022
“It’s Crushing”: The Lasting Trauma of the Exonerated
Proving your innocence is only part of the battle to put your life back together.
By
Eric Lander, left, who was just appointed to be President Biden’s science adviser, showing Peter Neufeld, right, who went on to co-found the Innocence Project, how to look at DNA in 1988.
Looking Back January 26, 2021
This Scientist Helped Free the Innocent Using DNA. Now Biden Wants Him in the Cabinet.
Some experts hope Eric Lander, the president’s choice for new science adviser, will crack down on bad forensics in courtrooms.
By
Christopher Tapp, right, and public defender John Thomas at a hearing at the Bonneville County Courthouse in Idaho that allowed Tapp to leave prison in 2017.
News July 16, 2019
In an Apparent First, Genetic Genealogy Aids a Wrongful Conviction Case
An Idaho man falsely confessed to a 1996 rape and murder.
By
Lee Harris at Pontiac Correctional Center.
Southside November 2, 2018
Cellmates
Lee Harris spent years in prison without hope, until an unlikely friendship led to a years-long crusade to prove his innocence.
By Tori Marlan
News May 21, 2018
Corey Williams About to Walk Free in Louisiana
A sudden plea deal ends a decades-long fight in a capital murder case.
By
Henry Lee McCollum, seated, and his half-brother, Leon Brown, were released from prison after DNA evidence exonerated them in the 1983 rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl.
Feature April 7, 2018
The Price of Innocence
Two brothers did 31 years for someone else’s crime. Then things went bad.
By
Jennifer Thompson has spoken about how wrongful convictions contribute to crime by allowing the guilty to go free.
Q&A March 21, 2018
When the Innocent Go to Prison, How Many Guilty Go Free?
A husband and wife want to upend how we talk about wrongful convictions.
By
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