Pursuing Justice

Jhody Polk spent 8 years  in Florida prisons for burglary, arson and grand theft. While she did her time, she became fascinated by the law and ultimately earned the title of Law Clerk. She has an Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies. She won a Soros Justice Fellowship in 2018 allowing her to launch Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative. JLI is a national project that supports incarcerated people who teach themselves the law to advocate for themselves and their peers. JLI is housed at NYU School of Law's Bernstein Institute for Human Rights.

Learn more about Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative here.

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information. 

Jhody Polk spent 8 years  in Florida prisons for burglary, arson and grand theft. While she did her time, she became fascinated by the law and ultimately earned the title of Law Clerk. She has an Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies. She won a Soros Justice Fellowship in 2018 allowing her to launch Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative. JLI is a national project that supports incarcerated people who teach themselves the law to advocate for themselves and their peers. JLI is housed at NYU School of Law's Bernstein Institute for Human Rights.

Learn more about Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative here.

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information. 

In honor of International Wrongful Conviction Day which was October 2, Harriet will read a piece by John Grisham written as the introduction to a recently published book called Champions of Justice: Inside The Fight Against Wrongful Convictions edited by Dr. Saul Kassin. The book highlights exonerees, lawyers, forensic scientists, journalists and authors: all part of the worldwide Innocence Network. The 23 chapters are individually written by a "champion" of innocence. Grisham has been very outspoken about wrongful conviction along with serving on the Board of Directors for two Innocence organizations. He is the author of over 50 books. His most recent books are works of nonfiction: Framed and Shaken: The Rush To Execute An Innocent Man.

Get Champions Of Justice here.
Find John Grisham's books here.

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.

Marty Tankleff was arrested at age 17 for the double murder of his adoptive parents~a crime he didn't commit (and which is still unsolved over 30 years later). He was sentenced to 50 years to Life. He served 17 years of that sentence and after exoneration, he graduated from college and law school and is now a practicing lawyer. His story was shown on "48 Hours" in 2008 titled: "Fight for the Truth". In addition, he is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Learn more about Marty's Making An Exoneree here.

Marty Tankleff was arrested at age 17 for the double murder of his adoptive parents~a crime he didn't commit (and which is still unsolved over 30 years later). He was sentenced to 50 years to Life. He served 17 years of that sentence and after exoneration, he graduated from college and law school and is now a practicing lawyer. His story was shown on "48 Hours" in 2008 titled: "Fight for the Truth". In addition, he is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Learn more about Marty's Making An Exoneree here.

On this episode of Pursuing Justice, we're joined by Professor Henry, who will talk about the many cases of wrongful conviction where innocent people were convicted of crimes that simply never happened. She exposes a deeply flawed criminal justice system that allows-even encourages-these no-crime wrongful convictions to regularly occur.

Jessica Henry is an author, commentator, blogger and social justice advocate. She earned her JD from NYU School of Law and served as a public defender in NYC for nearly a decade. As a  professor at Montclair State University in Montclair, NJ, she was awarded the 2022 University Distinguished Scholar Award in recognition of her outstanding scholarship. She teaches classes on wrongful conviction, criminal law, hate crimes and death penalty perspectives. She is the author of: Smoke But No Fire: Convicting the Innocent of Crimes That Never Happened, published in 2020.

Click here to order Smoke But No Fire: Convicting the Innocent of Crimes That Never Happened
To learn more about Professor Henry and her work, you can visit her website: https://jessicahenryjustice.com

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.

On this episode of Pursuing Justice, we're joined by Professor Henry, who will talk about the many cases of wrongful conviction where innocent people were convicted of crimes that simply never happened. She exposes a deeply flawed criminal justice system that allows-even encourages-these no-crime wrongful convictions to regularly occur.

Jessica Henry is an author, commentator, blogger and social justice advocate. She earned her JD from NYU School of Law and served as a public defender in NYC for nearly a decade. As a  professor at Montclair State University in Montclair, NJ, she was awarded the 2022 University Distinguished Scholar Award in recognition of her outstanding scholarship. She teaches classes on wrongful conviction, criminal law, hate crimes and death penalty perspectives. She is the author of: Smoke But No Fire: Convicting the Innocent of Crimes That Never Happened, published in 2020.

Click here to order Smoke But No Fire: Convicting the Innocent of Crimes That Never Happened
To learn more about Professor Henry and her work, you can visit her website: https://jessicahenryjustice.com

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.

Alexander McLean is C.E.O. and  founder of Justice Defenders. This organization trains incarcerated people and prison staff side by side as paralegals and lawyers to serve those denied justice in Kenya and Uganda. They have been able to secure a release for  72,000 people, trained 740 paralegals in addition to 67 people who earned a law degree from the University of London while in prison or as prison staff. McLean created this nonprofit in 2007 having graduated from the University of Nottingham as a Barrister that year. Alexander has been honored for his work by being recognized in TIME's 30 Under 30 Changing the World and on "The Power List". He was UK Young Philanthropist of the Year in 2007. Grinnell College awarded him the "Innovator for Social Justice Prize" in 2020.

To learn more about Justice Defenders, visit www.justice-defenders.org

Alexander's TED Talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sTBdU0SIJc

The Whole Story - https://youtu.be/NPVLb4SwQU4

60 Minutes - https://drive.google.com/drive/search?dmr=1&ec=wgc-drive-globalnav-goto&q=60%20minutes%20type:video

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information. 

Alexander McLean is C.E.O. and  founder of Justice Defenders. This organization trains incarcerated people and prison staff side by side as paralegals and lawyers to serve those denied justice in Kenya and Uganda. They have been able to secure a release for  72,000 people, trained 740 paralegals in addition to 67 people who earned a law degree from the University of London while in prison or as prison staff. McLean created this nonprofit in 2007 having graduated from the University of Nottingham as a Barrister that year. Alexander has been honored for his work by being recognized in TIME's 30 Under 30 Changing the World and on "The Power List". He was UK Young Philanthropist of the Year in 2007. Grinnell College awarded him the "Innovator for Social Justice Prize" in 2020.

To learn more about Justice Defenders, visit www.justice-defenders.org

Alexander's TED Talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sTBdU0SIJc

The Whole Story - https://youtu.be/NPVLb4SwQU4

60 Minutes - https://drive.google.com/drive/search?dmr=1&ec=wgc-drive-globalnav-goto&q=60%20minutes%20type:video

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information. 

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 feature writing and reviews and criticism. Lennon recently published his first book, The Tragedy of True Crime: Four Guilty Men and the Stories That Define Us, which was named a "best book of the year" by the New York Times and NPR. Lennon will be eligible for parole in 2029.

To learn more about John, and to purchase his book, visit https://johnjlennon.net/

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more information.