The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation

The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation For Justice is committed to the prevention & eradication of wrongful

The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation For Justice came into being for the purpose of furthering Jeff’s commitment to the prevention and eradication of wrongful convictions, as the result of his own brutal treatment at age 16 by rogue police, prosecutors, and other law enforcement personnel. He was knowingly and maliciously accused, prosecuted and convicted of the r**e and murder of a 15-year-old girl, d

espite the fact that authorities knew his DNA did not match that of the actual perpetrator. Deskovic emerged at 33, having been exonerated by further, more sophisticated DNA testing that in fact identified the actual perpetrator. Jeff walked out of prison, a free man with a self imposed mission going forward to do everything in his power to prevent what happened to him from happening to others. He decided he would work to prevent wrongful convictions, and for the exoneration of those who had already suffered his fate, collaboratively with government and private agencies.

This morning, The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice, through founder Jeffrey Deskovic, Esq., virtually presented o...
06/02/2026

This morning, The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice, through founder Jeffrey Deskovic, Esq., virtually presented oral argument in Eliseo Deleon’s case.

Eliseo and Jeffrey first met while incarcerated at Elmira Correctional Facility. Years later, Jeffrey is now standing beside him as an attorney and advocate.

Eliseo spent more than 24 years in prison for a 1995 murder conviction that was later vacated. His case has been tied to former NYPD Detective Louis Scarcella and Detective Steven Chmil, whose involvement in cases has raised serious concerns about misconduct and wrongful convictions.

After Eliseo’s conviction was overturned, he was retried and convicted again in 2022. Today’s oral argument is part of his continued fight to clear his name.

This is what the work of the Foundation looks like: standing with people long after the headlines fade, challenging convictions that deserve scrutiny, and fighting for justice one case at a time.

More updates to come.

Swipe through the headlines that told Jeffrey Deskovic’s story as it unfolded.“Formally freed.” At 17, Jeffrey was convi...
06/01/2026

Swipe through the headlines that told Jeffrey Deskovic’s story as it unfolded.

“Formally freed.” At 17, Jeffrey was convicted of a r**e and murder he didn’t commit, built on a false confession his DNA never matched. In 2006, after 16 years behind bars, DNA finally set him free.

Then came the moment most exonerees never get: watching the real perpetrator sentenced for the crime that stole his youth.

And then the hardest part, rebuilding. Back to school. Learning to trust again. Turning the worst thing that ever happened to him into a life’s mission as an attorney, educator, and advocate.

These front pages are from his home state of New York. But his fight belongs to every state, including Alaska, one of just 17 with no law to compensate the wrongfully convicted.

You can hear Jeffrey’s full story in person if you’re in Alaska, or send this to a friend who is. Either way, you can stand with the Alaska Innocence Project as it works to free wrongfully convicted Alaskans.

🎟️ Reserve your spot: https://bit.ly/supportaip
📍 The Nave, 3520 Spenard Road, Anchorage
🗓️ Thursday, June 4th · 5:30–7:30PM
💵 $50 admission · food included

Alaska, wrongful conviction is closer to home than you think 👇Here are 4 things every Alaskan should know:1️⃣ Alaska is ...
05/29/2026

Alaska, wrongful conviction is closer to home than you think 👇

Here are 4 things every Alaskan should know:
1️⃣ Alaska is one of just 17 states with NO law to compensate the wrongfully convicted.
2️⃣ A reform bill to pay exonerees per year served has stalled in the legislature for years.
3️⃣ It costs about $60K a year to imprison one Alaskan, so a wrong conviction hits everyone’s taxes too.
4️⃣ Alaska Natives in rural communities face the highest risk of all.

These aren’t abstract numbers. The Fairbanks Four served a combined 72+ years for a crime they didn’t commit. Exoneree, attorney, and advocate Jeffrey Deskovic served 16 before DNA proved his innocence. Now he’s coming to Alaska to tell his story and stand with the fight here.

Join the benefit and hear it firsthand. Every ticket supports the Alaska Innocence Project’s work to free wrongfully convicted Alaskans.

🎟️ Reserve your spot: https://bit.ly/supportaip
📍 The Nave, 3520 Spenard Road, Anchorage
🗓️ Thursday, June 4th · 5:30–7:30PM
💵 $50 admission · food included

Seats are limited. Grab yours and be part of the change 👇
https://bit.ly/supportaip

Yesterday, Jeffrey Deskovic attended a NAHREP Westchester event led by NAHREP Westchester President Mariela Caminero, wh...
05/29/2026

Yesterday, Jeffrey Deskovic attended a NAHREP Westchester event led by NAHREP Westchester President Mariela Caminero, where community, leadership, wealth-building, family, public policy, and service all came together in one powerful room.

The event highlighted The NAHREP 10: The Hispanic Wealth Project®, a set of guiding disciplines focused on building lasting prosperity, including knowing your net worth, minimizing debt, investing wisely, staying politically informed, prioritizing health, supporting family, and giving generously to those with fewer resources.

For the Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice, spaces like this matter. Justice work is not separate from economic empowerment, civic engagement, or community-building. When people have access to knowledge, resources, advocacy, and opportunity, entire families and futures can change.

Thank you to NAHREP Westchester and Mariela Caminero for creating a space rooted in leadership, connection, and purpose.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we’re sharing a throwback from Jeffrey’s early “poetry got promoted” era.These...
05/27/2026

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we’re sharing a throwback from Jeffrey’s early “poetry got promoted” era.

These photos were discovered by Scarlett Antonia, pictured here with Jeffrey. She found them while clearing out the arts education space she unexpectedly had to leave after nearly 10 years. Scarlett has dedicated over 20 years to building arts education and community programming in Peekskill and is now rebuilding from the ground up.

The image shows Jeffrey reciting poetry shortly after his release.

After 16 years of wrongful incarceration, Jeffrey didn’t return to a predefined life path. There was no immediate compensation, no clear roadmap, and no simple guide to process his experiences. Poetry, public speaking, storytelling, and community spaces became part of his healing journey.

This wasn’t about art magically solving everything, but rather about providing a space for profound internal experiences to be expressed and understood by others. That’s why spaces like Scarlett’s are so vital: they offer people room to create, speak, process, experiment, be vulnerable, be honest, and transform emotional struggles into something relatable.

If you wish to learn more or support Scarlett’s rebuilding efforts, please visit: https://bit.ly/supportscarlett

Thank you to everyone who supports the arts, second chances, and the community spaces that help individuals navigate their next steps.

Wishing a very happy belated birthday to Peekskill resident, local advocate, educator, and longtime friend of Jeffrey De...
05/27/2026

Wishing a very happy belated birthday to Peekskill resident, local advocate, educator, and longtime friend of Jeffrey Deskovic, Samuel North.

Over the years, Samuel has shown up for Jeffrey and this work in so many meaningful ways. As a teacher at Ossining High School, he has invited Jeffrey multiple times to speak with his students and share his story of wrongful conviction, survival, freedom, and advocacy. In 2021, Jeffrey visited several of Samuel’s classes after students had watched the documentary short Conviction, produced by Jia Wertz, and Samuel even surprised Jeffrey with a belated birthday cake.

Samuel and Jeffrey have also participated in Peekskill NAACP events together, attended community gatherings, and been connected through the Unlabelled Awards. In 2019, Jeffrey received the Conquest Award at the Unlabelled Awards, while Samuel was also recognized separately through Unlabelled Awards honors for his own work and impact.

Samuel has also attended screenings of 16 Years, the film by Jia Rizvi about Jeffrey’s story, and helped out at the more recent screening at the Ossining Public Library. His continued support helps keep these stories in the public eye and brings more people into the conversation around wrongful convictions and the urgent need for justice reform.

We are sharing a few throwback photos today in gratitude and recognition.

At the Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice, we never take the people who show up for granted. Whether someone volunteers, attends an event, invites Jeffrey to speak, shares our posts, brings these conversations into classrooms, or helps keep these stories alive in the community, it matters.

Thank you, Samuel, for your friendship, advocacy, and continued support. Happy belated birthday!

Photo credit: Ossining High School photos from 2021 were taken pro bono by Joseph B. Davis of Peekskill.

Memorial Day asks us to remember sacrifice.It should also ask us to remember the stories that were buried, minimized, or...
05/25/2026

Memorial Day asks us to remember sacrifice.

It should also ask us to remember the stories that were buried, minimized, or corrected far too late.

In 1944, an explosion at Port Chicago killed 320 people and injured hundreds more. The surviving Black sailors were later ordered back to dangerous ammunition-loading work without meaningful safety changes.

When many refused, the system punished them.

Some lost pay. Some faced bad conduct discharges. Fifty were tried for mutiny and sentenced to dishonorable discharges, reduced rank, lost pay, and prison terms of up to 15 years.

Eighty years later, in 2024, the U.S. Navy finally exonerated the remaining 256 defendants tied to those cases.

At the Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice, we know that a conviction is not always the full truth. Systems can get it wrong. Records can be wrong. Lives can be changed forever by decisions made too quickly, unfairly, or without regard for the people most impacted.

This Memorial Day, we remember the Port Chicago sailors not only for their service, but for the dignity they were denied.

Justice delayed cannot undo the harm.

But telling the truth still matters.

05/21/2026

How does a 16-year-old confess to a r**e and murder he didn’t commit, and lose 16 years of his life because of it?

Here’s how.

Jeff was a high school kid in Peekskill who cried at his murdered classmate’s funeral. Police thought his grief looked suspicious. They picked him up.

He was 16. They drove him 40 minutes away so he couldn’t leave. No lawyer. No parent. No food. Countless cups of coffee, on purpose, to elevate his nervous system before they strapped him to a polygraph machine.

3 polygraph sessions. 6 to 7 hours. Interrogations between each one.

By the end, he was under the table in the fetal position, sobbing. They told him he failed the polygraph (which has a 1-in-5 false positive rate and is inadmissible in most U.S. courts). He gave a false confession he immediately retracted.

The DNA didn’t match him. They prosecuted him anyway. 16 years in prison.

This is what wrongful conviction actually looks like. Not a movie. A scared kid, sleep-deprived, hungry, alone, told by adults that he must have done it.

Today is Hudson Valley Gives. A few hours left. Our waitlist is 600 deep, full of stories that begin exactly like Jeff’s. Every $5 gets matched.

🔗 bit.ly/hvgives26

May 20 only. If you’re seeing this later, donate at deskovicfoundation.org.

This is the work your donation funds.On the left: people the Deskovic Foundation has helped bring home. 15 wrongfully co...
05/20/2026

This is the work your donation funds.

On the left: people the Deskovic Foundation has helped bring home. 15 wrongfully convicted human beings, freed because supporters like you showed up.

On the right: Cameron Isaac.

Cameron is still incarcerated in New York. Convicted in 2017 of a murder we don’t believe he committed. No DNA. No eyewitnesses. No weapon ever found. The case was built almost entirely on cell tower data and a witness statement we’ve now shown was coerced.

In March 2026, we filed a federal habeas corpus petition challenging his conviction. We’re filing updates as we speak. His family is relying on us to keep this case moving. But active litigation takes resources—expert witnesses, investigators, legal research, court filings—and we are stretched thin.
Cameron deserves the same chance every person on the left got. So do the 600 others on our waitlist.

A few hours left of Hudson Valley Gives. Every $5 gets matched. Every donor helps us win bonus prizes. Every dollar funds the work of bringing Cameron and people like him home.

🔗 bit.ly/hvgives26 — until 11:59 PM tonight.

If you’ve ever wondered whether a small donation actually matters, today’s the day to find out.The Jeffrey Deskovic Foun...
05/20/2026

If you’ve ever wondered whether a small donation actually matters, today’s the day to find out.

The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice is participating in Hudson Valley Gives for the first time—a 24-hour online giving day for local Hudson Valley nonprofits. Here’s why even $5 matters:

Every donation gets matched by sponsors throughout the day. A $5 gift can become $15+ for us. The biggest bonus prizes don’t go to whoever raises the most money—they go to whichever nonprofit gets the most people to show up. Which means a $5 gift from someone new helps us as much as a much larger one.

What we do: We free wrongfully convicted people from prison. 15 brought home so far. 600 still on our waitlist asking for help.
Today only, until 11:59 PM. Even $5 makes a real difference.
🔗 bit.ly/hvgives26

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Peekskill, NY
10566

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