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Wrongful Conviction

Illustration by Julia Kuo
St. Louis
Sandra Hemme’s 43-Year Fight for Innocence Reflects Pitfalls in Missouri’s Justice System
Even after a judge declared her innocent and ordered her freed, the Missouri attorney general tried to send her back.
Sandra “Sandy” Hemme, an older White woman with medium-length gray hair and glasses, wears a blue jean jacket and stands outside in front of a lake and some trees.
Robert Roberson, a light-skinned man wearing a white prison uniform, looks through visitation room glass. A phone hangs on either side of the divider.
Closing Argument September 18, 2024
Robert Roberson’s Death Penalty Case Shows How Justice System Fails People With Autism
He was convicted in his daughter’s death. Those who believe he’s innocent argue his diagnosis helps explain how he ended up facing execution.
By
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey speaks during a conference at the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City on Aug. 1, 2024. Bailey has aggressively pushed back on efforts by local prosecutors and judges to toss out convictions of people with innocence claims.
Closing Argument August 17, 2024
How Prosecutors Fight Exonerations
As laws are passed to support the wrongfully convicted, some officials in the legal system push back.
By
Raymond Flanks, a Black man, and Cassandra Delpit, a Black woman, embrace each other by Lake Pontchartrain.
Life Inside July 26, 2024
Love Beyond Bars: Raymond and Cassandra
Raymond Flanks spent nearly 39 years in Louisiana lockups for a murder he didn’t commit. Luckily, he found love with an old friend, Cassandra Delpit.
Photographs by Camille Farrah Lenain
As-told-to by
Miguel, a man with medium-toned skin, short hair and a mustache, hugs his wife, Silvia, a woman with medium-toned skin and long brown hair, on the beach.
Life Inside July 5, 2024
Love Beyond Bars: Miguel and Silvia
While Miguel Solorio did 25 years for a crime he didn’t commit, his wife, Silvia, was right by his side. Here’s their California love story in pictures.
Photographs by Camille Farrah Lenain
As-told-to by
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.
Closing Argument May 20, 2023
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.
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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, 2023
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, 2023
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.
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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.
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