The Innocence Center

The Innocence Center The Innocence Center is a national non-profit organization that frees the innocent from prison.

What an incredible night. The For the Innocent Gala 2026 brought together supporters, advocates, sponsors, volunteers, a...
06/04/2026

What an incredible night. The For the Innocent Gala 2026 brought together supporters, advocates, sponsors, volunteers, and community members united by a shared belief: that innocent people deserve justice.

Whether you attended the gala, donated, bid in our auction, sponsored the event, or have supported our mission throughout the year, thank you. Your commitment helps make our work possible and strengthens our fight to free innocent people from prison, reunite families, and restore lives.

The evening was filled with inspiring stories from freed individuals, meaningful connections, and a powerful reminder of the impact we can make together.

Thanks to our incredible sponsors and community, we’ve raised $91,315—91% of our $100,000 Gala fundraising goal. We are incredible grateful to all who’ve helped us get to this milestone—together, we’ve freed 43 innocent people who served more than 600 years in prison—which is possible due to your support. If you are able to make a gift and help us meet our goal, please make a gift today.

Thank you for being part of this community and for standing with us in the pursuit of freedom and fairness for the wrongfully convicted!

One of the most powerful moments of Gala night.At our 2026 For the Innocent Gala, Executive Director Mike Semanchik invi...
06/03/2026

One of the most powerful moments of Gala night.

At our 2026 For the Innocent Gala, Executive Director Mike Semanchik invited our freed and exonerated clients in attendance to join him on stage at the end of his presentation.

Collectively, these 19 men and women lost more than 400 years of their lives to incarceration for crimes they did not commit.

As they stood together before a room of supporters, we were reminded of the human cost of wrongful convictions. Four hundred years of missed birthdays. Missed graduations. Missed holidays. Missed time with parents, children, spouses, and friends. Missed opportunities and milestones.

This is exactly what makes events like our Gala so important. Every dollar we raise helps us investigate cases, challenge wrongful convictions, and fight to bring innocent people home.

We are honored to stand alongside these extraordinary individuals and grateful to everyone who makes this work possible 🧡💙

05/19/2026

As those who attended our Gala know, Saturday marked a very special milestone for one of our clients. Please join us in celebrating Gerardo Cabanillas’ 3-year freedom-versary 🧡💙

On May 16, 2023, after spending 28 years wrongfully incarcerated for crimes he did not commit, Gerardo was released from prison and finally reunited with his daughter at IHOP, his choice of restaurant for his first breakfast as a free man.

This video captures the emotions of that unforgettable moment. Gerardo’s daughter holding bursts into tears at the sight of their father, free at last, and finally able to hug her outside the confines of prison walls.

Wrongfully convicted at just 18 years old based on unreliable eyewitness identifications and a false confession coerced by detectives, Gerardo never stopped proclaiming his innocence. There was no physical evidence tying him to the crimes. Decades later, DNA testing proved what Gerardo had said all along: he was innocent.

On September 26, 2023, Gerardo was officially exonerated.

Wrongful convictions steal more than freedom. They steal time, memories, family moments, and years that can never be returned.

This week, we celebrate Gerardo’s resilience, his freedom, and his family who never stopped fighting for him.

05/16/2026

We are honored to present the 2026 Public Education Award to Maggie Freleng, journalist and producer of the Wrongful Conviction Podcast, in recognition of her powerful contributions to advancing public understanding of wrongful convictions and the urgent need for justice reform.

Over the past year, Maggie has produced dozens of episodes of the Wrongful Conviction Podcast through Lava for Good, including several featuring The Innocence Center’s clients and their fights for freedom. Through her thoughtful storytelling and fearless reporting, she has helped bring national attention to the human impact of wrongful convictions and the work being done to correct them.

We are deeply grateful for Maggie’s partnership, reporting, and unwavering belief in the power of justice and storytelling to create change.

Please join us in congratulating Maggie Freleng, our 2026 Public Education Award recipient!

05/16/2026

We were honored to present the 2026 Freedom Award to Andrew Shulman, Innovation Lead of Thomson Reuters’ AI for Justice program, in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to expanding access to justice and advancing innocence work.

Through AI for Justice, Andrew works across the entire access-to-justice ecosystem, helping organizations like ours build innovative new tools and expand legal access. His work has helped The Innocence Center implement AI in ways that save valuable time, strengthen our advocacy, and ultimately help us fight for more innocent people.

What makes Andrew’s support even more meaningful is his personal connection to this work. Early in his career, he did post-conviction criminal defense work where he had the opportunity to bring an innocent individual home from prison. This experience gave Andrew a deep understanding of what’s at stake for the clients and families we serve every day.

In this video, Andrew shares that he keeps his award on his desk as a daily reminder of the importance of this work.

We are deeply grateful for his partnership, innovation, and belief in the power of justice.

Please join us in congratulating Andrew, our 2026 Freedom Award recipient!

05/15/2026

Please join us in wishing a very happy freedom-aversary to Reggie Cole!

On this day in 2010, Reggie Cole was exonerated after spending more than 16 years wrongfully incarcerated for a murder he did not commit. Convicted based on false eyewitness testimony, misidentification, and official misconduct, Reggie never stopped fighting to prove his innocence.

This video captures the moment Reggie reunited with his family after his release, a deeply emotional reminder of what wrongful convictions take away, and what freedom restores.

Years after his conviction, evidence uncovered by his legal team revealed that key testimony against Reggie had been fabricated and critical evidence pointing to his innocence had been withheld from his defense. After years of litigation led by our attorneys, Reggie’s conviction was vacated and the charges were dismissed.

In 2015, Reggie was officially declared factually innocent.

Today, we celebrate Reggie’s freedom, his resilience, and the family who never stopped believing in him 🧡💙

The countdown is on! We are just 3 weeks away from our 2026 Gala on May 16! We are so grateful to our incredible sponsor...
04/27/2026

The countdown is on! We are just 3 weeks away from our 2026 Gala on May 16!

We are so grateful to our incredible sponsors for making this evening possible. Your support fuels our mission to free the wrongfully convicted and bring innocent people home from prison.

Because of you, we’re able to continue this work, and to gather in a room full of purpose, resilience, and hope.

Join us in celebrating our mission, honoring the stories of our clients, and coming together as a community committed to justice.

🎟️ Tickets are available now, visit the link in our bio!

04/22/2026

Today we celebrate the freedom-versary of Michael Hanline, who was rightfully exonerated after spending over three decades in prison for a crime he did not commit.

In 1980, Michael was wrongfully convicted based on unreliable witness testimony and flawed evidence. For 36 years, he never stopped fighting to prove what he had always known: that he was innocent.

Advancements in DNA testing finally revealed the truth. The very evidence once used against him became the key to his freedom.

This video captures Michael’s first day out of prison back in 2015, a day we will never forget. Michael experienced the outside world for the first time in 36 years and sat down for his first meal as a free man.

He chose a Mile High bacon burger from Carl’s Jr., something he had only ever seen on TV. He said the commercial did the burger justice.

Moments like these are why we do this work.

Michael’s story is a powerful reminder that wrongful convictions happen, and that the fight for truth, justice, and freedom must never stop.

We are so happy that you are back home, Michael. We are so proud to stand beside you ❤️

Anyone else anxiously awaiting tonight’s season finale of The Pitt? 👀🎬Last month, we met cast members Alexandra Metz, Lu...
04/16/2026

Anyone else anxiously awaiting tonight’s season finale of The Pitt? 👀🎬

Last month, we met cast members Alexandra Metz, Lucas Iverson, and Brandon Mendez Homer at the GBK Oscars Gifting Suite, where we got to share our work and our mission, and the real stories that fuel it.

One moment that stayed with us: Brandon shared that he had previously portrayed a wrongfully convicted man on Blue Bloods (“Higher Standards,” Season 10). In the episode, his character is imprisoned for five years for a crime he didn’t commit, until new evidence forces a reckoning.

It’s powerful storytelling…but it’s also reality.

This is a familiar narrative we see play out in our clients’ cases every day, lives upended by wrongful convictions, and the long road to exoneration. When these stories are told on screen, they help shine a light on what so many of our clients are actively living through.

These conversations matter. The more people who understand the impact of wrongful convictions, the closer we get to real systemic change.

Now…who’s watching tonight?? 🍿

We’re back from Chicago and feeling more inspired than ever!Our team had the privilege of attending the Innocence Networ...
04/14/2026

We’re back from Chicago and feeling more inspired than ever!

Our team had the privilege of attending the Innocence Network Conference, an incredible gathering of freedom fighters, attorneys, exonerees, and changemakers all united under one mission: bringing innocent people home from prison, supporting them as they rebuild their lives, and preventing wrongful convictions from happening in the first place.

From leading panels on emerging tools like AI, to learning new re-entry strategies that better support our clients after release, to participating in a trauma-informed care training, to connecting with exonerees and fellow freedom fighters, this weekend was a powerful reminder that this work is far bigger than any one organization.

We have returned home reinvigorated with new ideas, connections, and renewed momentum to keep fighting for justice on our clients behalf.

Many thanks to for organizing such a spectacular weekend!

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6549 Mission Gorge Road #379
San Diego, CA
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