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 Ingenuity Award in Education. B.P.I. has been featured on "60 Minutes", PBS News Hour, the New York Times Magazine, the Washington Post and the docuseries "College Behind Bars" by Ken Burns which was shown on PBS. This 4 part documentary is the inspiring, deeply human story of men and women struggling to earn college degrees while in prison for serious crimes.
Elias Beltran graduated from B.P.I. in 2017 having been incarcerated for 29 1/2 years. He earned a B.A. in Literature and the Humanities. He is now a PhD candidate at Cornell University. He has been a writing fellow with Bard's MicroCollege at the Brooklyn Public Library as well as at the Harlem Children's Zone and at Cornell for the English Language Support Organization (ELSO). He continues studying Mandarin Chinese. He is also a T.A. at Cornell, teaching a class on Crime and Punishment. He was awarded a prize given to Teaching Assistants at Cornell. In the Fall of 2025, he will be teaching at Albion Correctional Facility for Women, a prison in upstate New York. At the age of 16, Elias was sentenced to 30 years-to-life.
BPI on 60 Minutes: https://bpi.bard.edu/news-stories/news/bpi-on-60-minutes/
Max Kenner with Deidre Faughey: https://bpi.bard.edu/news-stories/news/max-kenner-with-deirdre-faughey/
Plus, you can find a lot more about BPI here: https://bpi.bard.edu/news-stories/
This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.
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 hurdles that led to positive outcomes for the boys and dogs in the program she calls : POOCH. The dogs found forever homes and the boys continued their education or found employment.
To learn more about Joan Dalton and purchase Second Chances, visit https://joandalton.com/
This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.
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 by
OSHA. In 2023, he was released on bail after his Federal Habeas Corpus petition was granted by the Federal Court of the
Eastern District of Pennsylvania and his conviction was vacated. On March 18, 2024 he was exonerated and the
Philadelphia District Attorney's office dropped all charges.
This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.
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 hurdles that led to positive outcomes for the boys and dogs in the program she calls : POOCH. The dogs found forever homes and the boys continued their education or found employment.
To learn more about Joan Dalton and purchase Second Chances, visit https://joandalton.com/
This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.
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 operating a nonprofit called: Peer Navigation Project. His story was shown on "48 Hours" entitled: "Grave Injustice".
Learn more about the Anthony's non-profit, Peer Navigator Project
Watch 48 Hours' Grave Injustice
Read Pamela Colloff's articale in the Texas Monthly called Innocence Lost
This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.
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 founded by Kristine to help exonerees transition back into society after prison.
Women Exonerees: Stories of Wrongful Conviction
Indiana's New Compensation Statute; New Discoveries in Fire Science.
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 operating a nonprofit called: Peer Navigation Project. His story was shown on "48 Hours" entitled: "Grave Injustice".
Learn more about the Anthony's non-profit, Peer Navigator Project
Watch 48 Hours' Grave Injustice
Read Pamela Colloff's articale in the Texas Monthly called Innocence Lost
This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.
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 wrote an investigative piece for The Atlantic on the case of Ben Spencer which led to her decision to write: Bringing Ben Home: A Murder, A Conviction and the Fight to Redeem American Justice published in August 2024.
Buy Barbara's Book Bringing Ben Home Here.
Read Barbara's Articles on The Atlantic
Visit Barbara's Website
This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.
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 at St. Louis University Law School and Washington University School of Law where she founded and teaches a death penalty clinical practicum. Jennifer speaks at National Conferences on capital punishment and has written numerous articles on capital defense. She is the recipient of the "Atticus Finch Award" in Missouri for her advocacy work.
Stephen Lazar works as a legal apprentice at Phillips Black Law Firm. He was formerly incarcerated, having been sentenced to Life Without Parole for a crime he did not commit. While incarcerated, he worked in the prison law library assisting fellow prisoners with their cases and became a certified legal reference aide by the state of Pennsylvania. He participated in many criminal justice think tanks as well as the Inside Out Program earning credits towards a degree in March 2023. He was fully exonerated and released after serving 16 years of his sentence. He often speaks at colleges about the horrors of our justice system.
Learn more about Phillips Black Law Firm
Learn more about the Inside Out Program
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 at St. Louis University Law School and Washington University School of Law where she founded and teaches a death penalty clinical practicum. Jennifer speaks at National Conferences on capital punishment and has written numerous articles on capital defense. She is the recipient of the "Atticus Finch Award" in Missouri for her advocacy work.
Stephen Lazar works as a legal apprentice at Phillips Black Law Firm. He was formerly incarcerated, having been sentenced to Life Without Parole for a crime he did not commit. While incarcerated, he worked in the prison law library assisting fellow prisoners with their cases and became a certified legal reference aide by the state of Pennsylvania. He participated in many criminal justice think tanks as well as the Inside Out Program earning credits towards a degree in March 2023. He was fully exonerated and released after serving 16 years of his sentence. He often speaks at colleges about the horrors of our justice system.
Learn more about Phillips Black Law Firm
Learn more about the Inside Out Program
This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.
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 in our criminal justice system through ICAN (Incarcerated Children's Advocacy Network). He is a proud husband and father.
Eddie discusses his memoir and the long lasting impact of being locked up as a child. Since 2006, he has devoted himself to mentoring, public speaking, making positive changes in the criminal justice system and speaking up for returning citizens.
Click here to purchase Eddie's book Change Is Possible: I Never Gave Up.
Change Is Possible Merchandise
Follow Eddie on Instagram
Connect with Eddie on LinkedIn
Eddie's most Recent Washington Post Article
Learn more about the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth here.
This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.
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 in our criminal justice system through ICAN (Incarcerated Children's Advocacy Network). He is a proud husband and father.
Eddie discusses his memoir and the long lasting impact of being locked up as a child. Since 2006, he has devoted himself to mentoring, public speaking, making positive changes in the criminal justice system and speaking up for returning citizens.
Click here to purchase Eddie's book Change Is Possible: I Never Gave Up.
Change Is Possible Merchandise
Follow Eddie on Instagram
Connect with Eddie on LinkedIn
Eddie's most Recent Washington Post Article
Learn more about the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth here.
This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.
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 Center For Justice.
He helped found a nonprofit called "Voices From Within Project" while he was doing time at Sing Sing. The project creates an opportunity to hear offenders share their stories in order to help young people think about the consequences of their actions. This is done in a multimedia format where just the offender is speaking from the heart.
Watch the trailer for Sing Sing here.
Watch Dario's clip for Voices from Within here.
This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.
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 Center For Justice.
He helped found a nonprofit called "Voices From Within Project" while he was doing time at Sing Sing. The project creates an opportunity to hear offenders share their stories in order to help young people think about the consequences of their actions. This is done in a multimedia format where just the offender is speaking from the heart.
Watch the trailer for Sing Sing here.
Watch Dario's clip for Voices from Within here.
This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.
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. Among several honors, she was inducted into the University of Georgia's chapter of the Blue Key Honor Society.
See below to learn more about Ellie Williams!
Read her article published in the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law
Learn more about the Georgia Survivor Justice Act bill here.
View the Georgia Domestic Violence Benchbook here.
Listen to Ellie discuss the new bill and criminalized survivors on the Until They're Free podcast
Check out their Survivor Storytelling Series here.
This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.
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. Among several honors, she was inducted into the University of Georgia's chapter of the Blue Key Honor Society.
See below to learn more about Ellie Williams!
Read her article published in the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law
Learn more about the Georgia Survivor Justice Act bill here.
View the Georgia Domestic Violence Benchbook here.
Listen to Ellie discuss the new bill and criminalized survivors on the Until They're Free podcast
Check out their Survivor Storytelling Series here.
This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.
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 information about Proximity for Justice, Visit Delia's Website here.
How I Learned to Read - And Trade Stocks - In Prison | Curtis "Wall Street" Carroll
This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.
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 information about Proximity for Justice, Visit Delia's Website here.
How I Learned to Read - And Trade Stocks - In Prison | Curtis "Wall Street" Carroll
This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.