Pennsylvania Innocence Project

More photos from the 2026 in the windy city!

Our PA team enjoyed catching up with old friends, leading sessions, immersing ourselves in the work, and exploring both the beauty and history of Chicago.

We can’t wait to see everyone next year in Anaheim, CA!

“'Society throws away people like us,' Lee said. 'It … judges them by one of the worst moments in their life. But I truly believe that people can be redeemed.'

That belief now frames how he views his own case: not only as a chance for himself, but also as a test of whether others like him might one day have a similar opportunity."

His case struck down mandatory life sentences in second-degree murder cases. What’s next for Derek Lee? Lee’s case changed the sentence for second-degree murder convictions. Now, he’s getting a chance at freedom.

Not many people can say that they have touched just about every area of our work, from case reviews to client representation to advocacy efforts. However, our 2026 Maureen Rowley Award recipient Jules Epstein definitely can.

Jules has made positive contributions in the cases of multiple Project clients, like Lance Felder, LaFaye Gaskins, and Trent Roberts. Lance, LaFaye, and Trent are all home after years of wrongful incarceration in part thanks to Jules. We are also grateful to benefit from Jules’ expertise as he assists with our policy and amicus work. His is a brilliant legal mind and we are honored to have him in our corner time and again.

Jules is the Professor of Law and Director of Advocacy at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law. In addition to his local legal contributions, Jules is a nationally known expert in evidence, trial advocacy, and issues surrounding witness identification.

The Project is pleased to acknowledge Jules as our Maureen Rowley Award recipient and we hope you will join us to celebrate with him on May 13th in Philadelphia.
https://www.painnocence.org/17th-anniversary-celebration

It's always fun running into familiar faces at the - especially when it's your 2026 JoAnne A. Epps Hero of Justice Award recipient, Maddy deLone.

For more than two decades, Maddy has been a tireless leader in the innocence movement. She spent 16 years as the Executive Director of the Innocence Project in New York and molded it into the organization that you see today. Maddy continues to offer her knowledge and experience to multiple organizations as a consultant and board member.

In Fall 2024, the PA Innocence Project was proud to have Maddy serve as Interim Executive Director. She navigated us through tough challenges and made a significant impact in a short period of time. Now, Maddy is happy to be working alongside Innocence Project Delaware as Interim Executive Director.

We hope that you will join us in Philadelphia on Wednesday, May 13th as we celebrate Maddy alongside our other recipients for their extraordinary contributions to our work.

Tickets and sponsorships are available now — you don't want to miss this year's event! https://www.painnocence.org/17th-anniversary-celebration

Our team is settled back home in Pennsylvania and can't stop thinking about our 2026 experience. Together, we celebrated alongside the 1,100+ individuals who gathered in Chicago to honor the work that has been done and learn more about what is still left to do within this movement.

We can't wait to share more from this memorable week!

Be a part of history in the making here in Pennsylvania! Join a call-in day tomorrow (Wednesday), asking our legislators to provide a remedy following the PA supreme court's recent decision on mandatory minimum sentencing to life in prison without the possibility of parole for second-degree murder convictions.

"Thousands of Pennsylvanians are are serving an unconstitutional sentence right now," says a joint statement from the Project along with Abolitionist Law Center, the Defender Association of Philadelphia, Public Defender Association of Pennsylvania, Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project and other Justice Alliance partners, advocating for the PA General Assembly to act quickly.

Learn more about proposed legislation, House Bill 443, from the joint statement here:
https://straight-ahead.org/2026/04/13/justice-delayed-joint-statement-on-the-postponed-vote-on-pa-house-bill-443/

Join the call-in day on April 15th. Find a suggested script and contact information here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o6Jn5wglcM453Mk6xrEUGdlO32puFZ1VGZDzAcvM4rQ/edit?tab=t.0

Justice Delayed: Joint Statement on the Postponed Vote on PA House Bill 443 - Straight Ahead Restoring justice by building a statewide decarceration movement across PA. Dismantling institutions of state violence.

Just one month away! Please join us on May 13th at the Water Works in Philadelphia to celebrate 17 years of unlocking the truth and freeing the innocent. Find tickets & sponsorship info here: https://www.painnocence.org/17th-anniversary-celebration

“While I was incarcerated, what I noticed is that the population of men that were coming through were younger and younger. These were kids, and they were staying for almost the rest of their lives.

"So I wanted to teach them critical thinking and conflict resolution. I shifted my playwriting skills to writing these educational short films. Fast forward, I’m home nine months, and I’ve been going into schools all over the country, talking to the young men and women.”

Tune in to hear our own board member, Termaine Hicks, in 'Stories of Freedom,' a partnership between the Innocence Project and StoryCorps to build a permanent archive in the Library of Congress of conversations with people impacted by mass incarceration and wrongful convictions.
https://ow.ly/IOI350YGNv3

Innocence Project and StoryCorps Studios Launch ‘Stories of Freedom’ More than 30 intimate conversations from people impacted by wrongful conviction will be preserved in the Library of Congress.

Most of our team is in Chicago now for the annual Innocence Network gathering - such an important time together!

‘Like a Family Reunion’: Reflections from the 2025 Innocence Network Conference in Seattle - Innocence Project Connection, creativity, and courage defined this year’s conference.

“When we saw the courts hold several years ago that children should not be subject to mandatory life without parole, that was eventually held to be retroactive and applied to everyone. I think and hope that we’re headed in that same direction here.”

At the end of March, the PA Supreme Court deemed mandatory sentencing to life in prison without the possibility of parole for second-degree murder convictions unconstitutional - "a sweeping change and a victory for the people of Pennsylvania."

Hear what this could mean for Project clients and hundreds more people incarcerated across the Commonwealth, from our own legal director Nilam Sanghvi on KDKA radio:

https://www.audacy.com/podcast/the-colin-dunlap-show-952bd/episodes/the-colin-dunlap-show-2pm-3-26-516f6

Recording interrogations provides an invaluable defense against wrongful convictions, says Jim Figorski, former Philly police officer and volunteer attorney for the Project. HB 413/SB 370 would require video recordings of custodial interrogations and aid in the prevention of wrongful convictions.

In the case of our client Willie Veasy, a false confession was obtained after he was coerced into signing a statement written by a detective that contained multiple errors. Willie is just one of the many people who would not have had to endure decades of wrongful imprisonment if his interrogation were recorded.

Support this bipartisan bill by calling your legislators and telling them to co-sponsor this bill.