By: Katherine Hwang On September 22, 2014, Justin Triplett was shot and killed. Around one year later, investigators turned their attention to Jason Johnomar Zapata, who was being held in custody on unrelated charges. What followed was a carefully orchestrated undercover operation. Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies placed Zapata in a holding cell with two undercover agents posing as fellow detainees - a tactic known as a Perkins operation. For more than three hours, the

By: Ashley Osterhout In terms of wrongful convictions, many issues stem from police misconduct and eyewitness misidentification. While Timothy Atkins’ exoneration was based on these grounds, his case also serves as an example of how stereotyping and systemic inequalities can influence wrongful convictions. On January 1st of 1985, two carjackers shot Vincente Gonzales and stole a necklace from his wife, Maria Gonzales. Following this murder, Denise Powell, a witness to the

The Youth for Innocence Internship Program offers students the opportunity to engage directly with the fight against wrongful convictions and support justice reform. Interns contribute to case research and investigative support, helping analyze case histories, review reporter transcripts, and examine the systemic factors that can lead to wrongful convictions. Through this process, they learn how issues such as unreliable witness testimony, false confessions, inadequate defens

By: Milica Tokic Injustice doesn't exist in a vacuum; it is built over time through the stories we are told and the ones that are kept hidden. Curriculum gaps refer to the selective teaching of history and knowledge in schools, where overwhelmingly white narratives are centered while marginalized voices are either misrepresented or completely erased. Black, Indigenous, and other racialized communities are overwhelmingly portrayed only through the lens of struggle, crime, or v