Innocent Demand Justice
2022 Champion of Justice

The Innocence Network is pleased to announce that Innocent Demand Justice has been awarded the 2022 Champion of Justice Award. The Champion of Justice Award was created to honor those who have gone above and beyond in championing efforts that free the wrongfully convicted and reform the criminal justice system to prevent future wrongful convictions. Their work strengthens the integrity of the justice system, is imbued by their sense of fairness and professionalism, and demonstrates a lasting dedication to the fair execution of the law. Innocent Demand Justice was nominated for the award by the staff attorneys of the Exoneration Project for their collective work in advocating for the wrongfully convicted, supporting their loved ones, and bringing awareness to the corruption of the Chicago Police Department. Their tireless campaign to collect and disseminate information about the misconduct of former Detective Reynaldo Guevara helped bring over 30 innocent men and women home and paved the way for the first mass exoneration of murder cases in the history of the United States. Their dedication to uncovering the truth and exposing injustice make them all exemplary examples of what it means to be true Champions of Justice. They are joining the ranks of past Champion of Justice Award winners such as Larry Hammond, founder of the Arizona Justice Project; John Thompson, founder of Resurrection After Exoneration; and Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. The Network is proud to honor their incredible work.

Elisha Anderson
2022 Jim Dwyer Award for Journalism

The Innocence Network is pleased to announce that Elisha Anderson will be awarded the 2022 Jim Dwyer Award for Journalism for her coverage of the cases of Anthony Kyles and Juwan Deering for the Detroit Free Press. The Jim Dwyer Award was created to honor outstanding work about wrongful convictions and the reform of the criminal legal system. Such work is pivotal to demonstrating to the public the failures and successes of the criminal justice system, providing accounts of the plight of the wrongfully convicted, and highlighting the reforms needed and the action that can be taken to improve the criminal justice system. Her reporting was nominated by Randy Essex, a colleague at the Detroit Free Press, for the remarkable work it has done to shed light on the way undisclosed benefits for incriminating testimony contribute to wrongful convictions. Her coverage of the cases of Anthony Kyles and Juwan Deering not only told their stories, but also highlighted the role incentivized witnesses played in their wrongful convictions and brought attention to safeguards such as jailhouse informant tracking systems that could prevent similar injustices in the future. She is joining the ranks of past award winners such as Luke Nozicka of The Kansas City Star, Liliana Segura of The Intercept, and Andrew Cohen of The Atlantic. The Network is proud to honor her incredible work.

Calvin Duncan
2022 Impact Award

The Innocence Network is pleased to announce that Calvin Duncan has been awarded the 2022 Impact Award. The Impact Award was created to honor an exonerated or freed person who raises awareness of wrongful convictions, policy issues, or assists others post-release. Their work demonstrates a commitment to improving the criminal legal system and its outcomes or reducing the harm caused by the criminal legal system by working to help other freed people after their release. He was nominated for the award by Jee Park, the Executive Director of Innocence Project New Orleans, for his storied career working as an Inmate Counsel Substitute, a legal assistant for the Capital Appeals Project and Promise of Justice Initiative, a co-founder of Rising Foundations, and a law student at Lewis & Clark Law School. You have not only helped to free the wrongfully convicted, life-sentenced, and unjustly punished but you have also worked hard to make sure they have resources and support when they come home. Your steadfast dedication to combatting wrongful conviction, mass incarceration, and systemic racism have had an incredible impact on the innocence movement and the wider community. Calvin is the inaugural winner of the Impact Award. The Network is proud to honor his incredible work.