Pursuing Justice

About Pursuing Justice

What if you or someone you loved were arrested, convicted and incarcerated for a crime --a crime for which you or that person was innocent? What if the lawyer you hired was incompetent and you were out of funds and out of options? What if years and decades had gone by and you or your loved one were still behind bars? Where would you find help? Wrongful conviction in the United States occurs more often than you might think. In 2022, the National Registry of Exonerations recorded 417 people who were proven innocent. They have tracked cases of innocence since 1989. Since 1973, 200 people were taken off Death Row and freed from prison. The total number of men and women exonerated since 1989 is 3,460. That is just the tip of the iceberg as it is estimated that 4%-6% of the 2 million people doing time are innocent. The desperate help these people need is coming from innocence organizations in most every state in addition to groups like Conviction Integrity Units around the nation. They work pro bono for each client. This podcast will explore causes of wrongful conviction in addition to many other topics related to our criminal justice system. We will continue to interview exonerees, share memoirs they have published, speak to Professors of Law who are also authors of books about false confessions and junk science. We will interview directors of Innocence Projects around the nation in addition to organizations like "Puppies Behind Bars". Host Harriet Hendel served on the Board of Directors of the Innocence Project of Florida from 2013~2019, having been active with IPF since 2009. The project is the sponsor of the podcast. Harriet has been teaching classes on topics related to our justice system since 2012 in Florida and New Jersey. Her goal is to shine a light on the miscarriage of justice going on all over our nation with the hope that one day wrongful conviction will be eliminated for good.

Publisher

Harriet Hendel

Category

news · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

19 Oct 2019

Latest episode

22 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

256 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   22 Oct 2026

   In Conversation with Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative Founder Jhody Polk [Part 2]

   Jhody Polk spent 8 years  in Florida prisons for burglary, arson and grand theft. While she did her time, she became fascinated by the law and ultimately earned the title of Law Clerk. She has an Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies. She won a Soros Justice Fellowship in 2018 allowing her to launch Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative. JLI is a national project that supports incarcerated people who teach themselves the law to advocate for themselves and their peers. JLI is housed at NYU School of Law's Bernstein Institute for Human Rights. Learn more about Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative here. (https://jailhouselawyers.org/about/) This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org (https://www.floridainnocence.org/) for more information.

2. 

   15 Oct 2026

   In Conversation with Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative Founder Jhody Polk [Part 1]

   Jhody Polk spent 8 years  in Florida prisons for burglary, arson and grand theft. While she did her time, she became fascinated by the law and ultimately earned the title of Law Clerk. She has an Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies. She won a Soros Justice Fellowship in 2018 allowing her to launch Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative. JLI is a national project that supports incarcerated people who teach themselves the law to advocate for themselves and their peers. JLI is housed at NYU School of Law's Bernstein Institute for Human Rights. Learn more about Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative here. (https://jailhouselawyers.org/about/) This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org (https://www.floridainnocence.org/) for more information.

3. 

   8 Oct 2026

   Champions of Justice: Harriet Speaks About Wrongful Conviction Day

   In honor of International Wrongful Conviction Day which was October 2, Harriet will read a piece by John Grisham written as the introduction to a recently published book called Champions of Justice: Inside The Fight Against Wrongful Convictions (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Champions-of-Innocence/Saul-Kassin/9781493093823) edited by Dr. Saul Kassin. The book highlights exonerees, lawyers, forensic scientists, journalists and authors: all part of the worldwide Innocence Network. The 23 chapters are individually written by a "champion" of innocence. Grisham has been very outspoken about wrongful conviction along with serving on the Board of Directors for two Innocence organizations. He is the author of over 50 books. His most recent books are works of nonfiction: Framed and Shaken: The Rush To Execute An Innocent Man. Get Champions Of Justice here. (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Champions-of-Innocence/Saul-Kassin/9781493093823) Find John Grisham's books here. (https://jgrisham.com/books/) This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org (https://www.floridainnocence.org/) for more information.

Who has been a guest on Pursuing Justice

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Dario Pena
• Ellie Williams
• Delia Cohen
• Craig Grossi
• Julian Sher

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 39 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

55

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

60

Contact Pursuing Justice

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.