Making an Exoneree

8 years, 61 cases, 4 universities, 13 prison releases

Making an Exoneree is an extraordinary and unprecedented course and program in which undergraduate and law students work together across multiple universities to reinvestigate likely wrongful conviction cases. They produce short documentaries and create digital platforms for each case, calling for exonerations and prison releases.

Official Music Partner for Making an Exoneree: Rianjali Bhowmick & Team

Making an Exoneree was created by two people who share a unique connection and history: Marc Howard and Marty Tankleff. Childhood friends since the age of three, they know about wrongful convictions and exonerations through their own personal experience. Tankleff spent almost 18 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and Howard played a role in helping to secure his exoneration. Together, they created Making an Exoneree.

The program originated at Georgetown University, where Howard and Tankleff have taught it every spring semester since 2018. In 2023, Princeton University piloted a Making an Exoneree course which has already resulted in the release of multiple individuals. Today, across five universities (including Georgetown University, Princeton University, New York University, the University of California-Santa Cruz, and Rice University) and Georgetown Law, 13 people (who have served over 300 years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit) are now free through the Making an Exoneree program. Many others are now represented by counsel and/or are receiving major media attention.