OUR STORY

It is incredible how one small idea can grow into something truly special. In 2020, a few students gathered under one mentor to help overturn wrongful convictions. After extensively working on multiple cases, we were moved by the lack of justice these people were getting. We quickly realized that other students would want to help these innocent prisoners, so we started Youth for Innocence, a group of high school and college students dedicated to overturning wrongful convictions.

Youth for Innocence is rooted in the belief that the new generation can accomplish great things.

Through our education initiative, we attempt to teach our youth and the wider world on wrongful convictions and the path to exoneration. We host seminars featuring prominent people involved in this uphill battle for justice. In our blog, we share the stories of the wrongfully convicted.

Through our volunteering, we give students first-hand experience with criminal law, aid lawyers in investigating the thousands of letters they receive from prisoners claiming innocence, and take the first step for prisoners to achieve their exoneration. In our initial training program, we teach student volunteers to evaluate cases, examine new evidence, and assist pro bono attorneys with RT notes and summaries of cases. These student volunteers employ these skills to investigate cases of potential wrongful convictions.

In 2024, Youth for Innocence officially became a nonprofit, gaining 501(c)3 tax-exempt status.

If you want to learn more about how you can start your journey at Youth for Innocence, click here.

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Disclaimer: we are not lawyers and therefore not able to give legal advice.