Booking photos of Paul Skalnik. Photo by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. 

"This system circumvents the due process rights of the accused."

The New York Times Magazine and ProPublica recently published an astonishing story detailing the sometimes fatal consequences of one man’s decades of deceit and criminal behavior.

The man, Paul Skalnik, is responsible for testifying in dozens of cases leading to convictions or plea deals. And in four instances, his testimony helped send people to death row in Florida. Rebecca Brown, Innocence Project Director of Policy, and Michelle Feldman, State Campaigns Director, were quoted in the article explaining how jailhouse informant testimony harms the legal system and contributes to wrongful convictions. 

Stanley Mozee leaves the courtroom after his conviction was vacated in 2014. Photo by Lara Solt.
 

"DNA testing also excluded me ... and I was finally exonerated."

Every exonerated or freed Innocence Project client has a unique story of tenacity, resilience and bravery against a system stacked against them. But they need our support, and we’re committed to advocating for them in 2020 and beyond.

The funds we raised last year helped win more than two dozen major policy reforms to identify, rectify and prevent wrongful convictions and saw seven of our clients freed or exonerated. Help us finish this year and start 2020 off strong. A generous donor will match all donations through the end of the year. Double your impact by making a tax-deductible year-end gift today.

Timothy Brian Cole's booking photo, April 10, 1985. Photo courtesy of Lubbock Police Department.
 

"I still believe in the justice system, even though it doesn’t believe in me."

In 1999, Timothy Brian Cole died in a Texas prison while serving a 25-year sentence for a rape he did not commit. In 2009, DNA evidence from the crime posthumously exonerated Cole and implicated another man as the perpetrator. One year later, then-governor Rick Perry granted Cole a posthumous pardon, making Cole the first person in the state of Texas to ever receive one.

December 2, 2019 marked the 20th anniversary of Cole's death. To commemorate his passing and highlight the reforms resulting from his exoneration, we're sharing a clip, courtesy of StoryCorps, of an interview between Cole’s younger brother Cory Session and close family friend Bob Sanders that discusses Cole’s wrongful conviction and ensuing reforms. 

Innocence Project board member Valerie Jarrett. Courtesy of Valerie Jarrett. 

“I have long admired [the Innocence Project's] commitment to exonerating the innocent.”

Valerie Jarrett, a Senior Distinguished Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School and senior advisor to the Obama Foundation, has joined our Board of Directors.

“We are delighted that Valerie is joining us,” said Innocence Project board chair Jack Taylor. “Her lifelong commitment to improving the criminal justice system and the people and communities impacted by it make her a tremendous partner for the Board and staff. We look forward to her insights and leadership as the Innocence Project continues our work freeing those who have been wrongfully convicted and preventing future wrongful convictions."

Jarrett was the longest-serving Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama. “I am deeply honored to continue this important work by joining the Board of Directors for the Innocence Project, an organization I have long admired for its commitment to exonerating the innocent and reforming our country’s criminal justice system to end unjust imprisonment,” said Jarrett. 

What did justice look like in 2019?

We’re thrilled to share the stories of this year’s accomplishments with our community, especially supporters like you who help make our work possible. Seven clients freed from the burden of wrongful conviction, and one who narrowly escaped execution. 21 policies won in 17 states. And 132,000 people took action to stop injustice.

This is what you helped make possible by being part of the Innocence Project community in 2019. Take a look and share with others on social media.