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JJ Velazquez & Dan Slepian
Criminal Justice Reform Advocates, “Letters from Sing Sing”
JJ Velazquez & Dan Slepian
Criminal Justice Reform Advocates, “Letters from Sing Sing”
Biography
In December of 2002, Dan Slepian, award-winning NBC News journalist and veteran producer of its esteemed newsmagazine Dateline, received a letter from Jon-Adrian "JJ" Velazquez, a man incarcerated and serving 25 years to life in person for a crime he didn’t commit. Dan, known for his in-depth reporting about the criminal legal system and wrongful convictions, began to investigate JJ’s case and found the facts didn’t add up. Dan documented JJ’s quest for freedom with real-time recordings and exposed systemic breakdowns in the criminal justice system along the way. This began an incredible 20-year journey that brought on years of prison visits, court hearings, and reporting that led to a series of powerful Dateline episodes and eventually resulted in freedom for JJ and other wrongfully convicted men. It challenged them both personally, led to a deep dive into what it means to be wrongfully convicted in America, and developed their lifelong partnership of advocating for justice and reform.
Dan and JJ continue their legendary partnership today, which has led to the chart-topping NBC News Studios podcast “Letters From Sing Sing.” Together, they founded Voices From Within, a multimedia educational initiative with works produced under a public domain license currently used by politicians as a tool to approach issues of gun violence in New York City. The success of the program led JJ to create a series of workshops called CHOICES (Choosing Healthier Options In Confronting Every Situation) about creating healthy communities through healthy decision-making.
In May 2022, The New York Times published its second feature about Dan, detailing his 20 years of reporting that helped exonerate six innocent men. Dan’s upcoming debut book, The Sing Sing Files: One Journalist, Six Innocent Men, and a Twenty-Year Fight for Justice chronicles his and JJ's experiences, which not only commemorates their triumphs but also amplifies the urgency for continued reform and accountability within the criminal justice system. It will be released in September 2024.
Speaker Videos
Incarcerated man’s decades-long journey to freedom chronicled in NBC News podcast
Joe Biden and JJ Velazquez Discuss Criminal Legal Reform
The C.H.O.I.C.E.S Connection | Jon-Adrian Velazquez | TEDxSingSing
Voices from within | Dan Slepian | TEDxSingSing
Speech Topics
Letters from Sing Sing
Books & Media
Books
The Sing Sing Files: One Journalist, Six Innocent Men, and a Twenty-Year Fight for Justice
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