Jeffrey Deskovic spoke about his arrest, wrongful conviction, and exoneration after 16 years of wrongful imprisonment for a murder and rape he did not commit; reintegrating back into society; becoming an advocate and attorney; founding the Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice and its track record; pending legislation aimed at preventing wrongful conviction; ways to get involved; and his universal formula for overcoming adversities and then turning them around to help others in a similar position.
Jeffrey Deskovic, Esq., M.A., is an attorney and founder of the Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice, which has freed 11 wrongfully convicted people and helped pass 9 laws aimed at preventing such injustices. An advisory board member of the national coalition group It Could Happen To You, which has branches in NY, PA, and CA. Jeff also sits on the Global Advisory Council of Restorative Justice International. Jeff served 16 years in prison (from age 17 to 32) for a murder and rape he did not commit, prior to being exonerated by DNA evidence that identified the actual perpetrator. Jeff considers his purpose in the world is to fight against wrongful convictions and for broader criminal justice reform.
His body of work includes: delivering several hundred presentations nationally and internationally; authoring more than 200 articles while being published in 9 different publications; regularly meeting with elected officials in NY, PA, and CA; and doing countless print, radio, television, and new media interviews. Jeff has delivered many CLE presentations; spoken in front of police cadets, groups of prosecutors, police, and judges; twice taught a wrongful conviction class as an adjunct professor. He has served on the Peekskill Police Taskforce Reform Group; and on the transition team of the Westchester County DA. Co-owner of the Recharge Beyond The Bars Re-Entry Game, a documentary short about his life post exoneration and advocacy work named, “Conviction” is available on Amazon Prime. He has received numerous awards, including: Humanitarian of the Year; 2018 Distinguished Alumn; Private Sector Servant of Justice; Advocate of the Year. His endorsement- as an individual- has been given in 12 different political races where wrongful conviction prevention and criminal justice reform were part of the planks that candidates were running on.
