Tennessee's Innocence Project

What happens when you are wrongly convicted? There is an organization in Tennessee that is there to fight with you and for you. We sat down with Jason Gichner, Executive Director of the Tennessee Innocence Project, to learn more about the organization’s work to help correct wrongful convictions across our state. Founded in 2019, the Tennessee Innocence Project investigates and litigates credible claims of actual innocence, working to give wrongfully convicted individuals a path back to freedom and, ultimately, back to their families and communities. But the organization’s work goes beyond the courtroom. TIP also helps exonerees rebuild their lives after release, while advocating for policy changes and educating the public about the factors that can contribute to wrongful convictions. Since its founding, the organization has helped secure the exonerations of 12 people, representing more than 300 years of wrongful imprisonment. In our conversation, Gichner shared why this work matters not only to the individuals and families directly affected, but to communities across Tennessee—and why seeking justice also means working to strengthen the system so that wrongful convictions are less likely to happen in the first place. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.