Pursuing Justice

Riya is the C.E.O. of the Juvenile Law Center located in Philadelphia, PA. She leads litigation policy advocacy and amicus efforts to reduce the harm of the juvenile  and criminal legal system. She is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago School of Law where she was a Civitas Childlaw Fellow. At the University of Michigan, she earned her B.A. in Psychology and American Culture. Before attending...

John J. Lennon is serving his twenty-fourth year behind bars, currently in Sing Sing Correctional Facility. His writing has appeared in The New York Review of Books, The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Esquire, and New York magazine. His work has been anthologized in the Best American Magazine Writing, and he’s twice been a finalist for the National Magazine Award, in featur...

John J. Lennon is serving his twenty-fourth year behind bars, currently in Sing Sing Correctional Facility. His writing has appeared in The New York Review of Books, The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Esquire, and New York magazine. His work has been anthologized in the Best American Magazine Writing, and he’s twice been a finalist for the National Magazine Award, in featur...

Max Kenner is the founder and director of Bard Prison Initiative which he launched 25 years ago. At Bard College, he is Vice President  for Institutional Initiatives and advisor to the President on Public Policy and College Affairs. Currently, he sits on the New York State Council on Community Justice. His awards are many: JFK Presidential Library's  New Frontier Award and the Smithsonian American...

Max Kenner is the founder and director of Bard Prison Initiative which he launched 25 years ago. At Bard College, he is Vice President  for Institutional Initiatives and advisor to the President on Public Policy and College Affairs. Currently, he sits on the New York State Council on Community Justice. His awards are many: JFK Presidential Library's  New Frontier Award and the Smithsonian American...

Joan Dalton taught in the Portland, Oregon public schools and then became an administrator at Oregon's strictest juvenile correctional facility~MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility.  With experience and learning from experts in the field of the "Human Animal Bond", she founded an on-site program pairing boys and dogs to address the troubling behavior of both. In Second Chances , she shares the hur...

This episode is a re-run of a previously aired episode of Pursuing Justice, highlighting stories for Wrongful Conviction Day. C.J. Rice was born in 1993 in Philadelphia. At the age of 17, he was wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit. His sentence was 30-60 years. While in prison, he earned  his High School diploma in addition to being certified as a brick layer. He also was certified b...

Joan Dalton taught in the Portland, Oregon public schools and then became an administrator at Oregon's strictest juvenile correctional facility~MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility.  With experience and learning from experts in the field of the "Human Animal Bond", she founded an on-site program pairing boys and dogs to address the troubling behavior of both. In Second Chances , she shares the hur...

This episode is a re-run of a previously aired episode of Pursuing Justice, highlighting stories for Wrongful Conviction Day. Huwe Burton Spent 18 years in Prison from Age 16-34 for a crime he did not commit

Arrested in 1992 for a heinous crime he did not commit, Anthony Graves was sentenced to death at the age of 27 in Texas. He was incarcerated for 18 years. He was finally exonerated and released in 2010 and works tirelessly for change in our justice system. He created the Anthony Graves Foundation and is Director of Community Outreach for the Harris County Public Defender's  Office in addition to o...

This episode is a re-run of a previously aired episode of Pursuing Justice, highlighting stories for Wrongful Conviction Day. Kristine Bunch spent 16 years in prison on a charge of arson, which killed her 3 year old son. She was proven innocent of these charges. She has a nonprofit organization called: Justice for Justus which helps people coming out of  prison. Justis4JustUs: an organization foun...

Arrested in 1992 for a heinous crime he did not commit, Anthony Graves was sentenced to death at the age of 27 in Texas. He was incarcerated for 18 years. He was finally exonerated and released in 2010 and works tirelessly for change in our justice system. He created the Anthony Graves Foundation and is Director of Community Outreach for the Harris County Public Defender's  Office in addition to o...

This episode is a re-run of a previously aired episode of Pursuing Justice, highlighting stories for Wrongful Conviction Day. Barbara Bradley Hagerty is a N.Y. Times best selling author and contributing writer for The Atlantic. She was a correspondent for NPR as well where she covered the Justice Department and Religion. Her awards include: 2 Gracie Awards, National Headline Award and others. She...

For more information, visit https://wrongfulconvictionday.org/ This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information. 

Jennifer Merrigan is a Stoneleigh Foundation Fellow who represents people facing a sentence of death or Life Without Parole {also known as Death by Incarceration}. As a lawyer for 20 years, her training is in capital mitigation. She is a former staff attorney and acting director of the Death Penalty Litigation Clinic, a nonprofit law firm in Kansas City, Missouri. She is also an adjunct professor...

Jennifer Merrigan is a Stoneleigh Foundation Fellow who represents people facing a sentence of death or Life Without Parole {also known as Death by Incarceration}. As a lawyer for 20 years, her training is in capital mitigation. She is a former staff attorney and acting director of the Death Penalty Litigation Clinic, a nonprofit law firm in Kansas City, Missouri. She is also an adjunct professor...

At age 16, Eddie was arrested for murder. He was found guilty of  manslaughter and sentenced to 22 years in prison. He served 15 years, ten of which were spent in solitary. Released in 2006, he has dedicated his life to making positive changes in his community and in the wider world. He is part of The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, working as an advocate for those sentenced as children...

At age 16, Eddie was arrested for murder. He was found guilty of  manslaughter and sentenced to 22 years in prison. He served 15 years, ten of which were spent in solitary. Released in 2006, he has dedicated his life to making positive changes in his community and in the wider world. He is part of The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, working as an advocate for those sentenced as children...

Dario Pena knows how to play an incarcerated man in the movie "Sing Sing" (on HBO MAX) because he did 17 years at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. He was paroled 5 years ago, having earned both a B.S. from Mercy University and a Masters Degree in Professional Studies from New York Theological Seminary. He is employed at Columbia University as a recruitment and community partnerships manager at The...

Dario Pena knows how to play an incarcerated man in the movie "Sing Sing" (on HBO MAX) because he did 17 years at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. He was paroled 5 years ago, having earned both a B.S. from Mercy University and a Masters Degree in Professional Studies from New York Theological Seminary. He is employed at Columbia University as a recruitment and community partnerships manager at The...

Ellie Williams is an attorney who represents survivors of domestic violence whose convictions are connected to their abuse and women with wrongful conviction claims. She is a seasoned speaker and trainer using her skills to train professionals and community members across the U.S. on domestic violence. She graduated cum laude from both Furman University and the University of Georgia School of Law....

Ellie Williams is an attorney who represents survivors of domestic violence whose convictions are connected to their abuse and women with wrongful conviction claims. She is a seasoned speaker and trainer using her skills to train professionals and community members across the U.S. on domestic violence. She graduated cum laude from both Furman University and the University of Georgia School of Law....

Delia Cohen worked inside the Clinton White House running the messaging department. She organized global initiatives during both of President Clinton's two terms. For the last 10 years, she  has organized TEDx events in prisons all over the U.S. These talks bring the entire community together: incarcerated people, corrections officers, prison administrators and community members. For more informat...

Delia Cohen worked inside the Clinton White House running the messaging department. She organized global initiatives during both of President Clinton's two terms. For the last 10 years, she  has organized TEDx events in prisons all over the U.S. These talks bring the entire community together: incarcerated people, corrections officers, prison administrators and community members. For more informat...

Raised in the Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C., Craig is a former Marine Corps Veteran, recipient of The Purple Heart who served in Afghanistan. He is the author of two books, Craig and Fred  and Second Chances. He is a graduate of Georgetown University. Since his return to the States in 2011, he has been on the Today Show and many other programs. He travels all around the country  speaking abo...