About Us

Mission Yale Students Against Wrongful Convictions ("YSAWC") aims to help remedy, prevent, and increase public awareness of convictions that violate the precept of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, fair trial rights, or the other procedural rights of criminal defendants. In addition to the significant harm to the individuals directly affected by these convictions, these miscarriages of justice fundamentally undermine the legitimacy of and public faith in the criminal justice system. Our mission is threefold: First, we will provide legal assistance in the fight against real cases of wrongful convictions; Second, we will educate students on the common and systemic causes of wrongful convictions and the difficulties in challenging them; Third, through confronting wrongful convictions, we hope to encourage students to think critically about how the criminal justice system creates unjust obstacles for all defendants regardless of whether they are "guilty" and disproportionately harms the poor, people of color, and other disadvantaged groups.