Jeff is Wrongfully Convicted

Jeff sits in silent prayer having just been informed that the jury had reached a verdict. His mother, left, confident that the justice system would not allow her actually innocent 17-year-old son to be found guilty of a crime he hadn't committed, attempts to reassure him, while his aunt attempts to shield him from the cameras. Read "Doing Hard Time" here.

Doing Hard Time

To illustrate the impact of wrongful convictions on an individuals life and the lives of their families, particularly in cases involving teenagers, Jeff has sacrificed personal privacy in an effort to help bring about greater public awareness, legislative reform. Read “A Glimpse Into The Suffering Of Families Of The Wrongfully Convicted” here and “The Multi-Faceted Human Costs OF Wrongful Conviction” here.

In this photo, taken in 1991, Jeff had recently arrived at Elmira Correctional Facility, an adult maximum security prison; convicted despite the fact that his DNA did not match that of the perpetrator. 

Read “Doing Hard Time Part 2” here and “Mental Games I Played To Survive In Prison” here.

Finally Released

At press conference following release, with Innocence Project Co-Founder Barry Scheck and attorney Nina Morrisson. After serving 16 years wrongfully, Jeff'’s conviction is overturned, and the indictment would later go on to be dismissed. Even in those first few moments of freedom, Jeff spoke of the urgent need for reforms to prevent wrongful convictions. Sept. 20, 2006.

Read Doing Hard Time Part 3 here.
Read news coverage of Jeff's release here.

Battling Wrongful Convictions

Jeff has made the battle against wrongful convictions his life's mission. For the past four years, since emerging from prison, he has lectured at schools and universities, and community organizations throughout the country, testified before state legislatures, lobbied, given many print, radio, and television interviews and founded The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation For Justice, all while turning out a weekly column in The Westchester Guardian newspaper.  Read Jeff's article here about why he battles wrongful convictions.