Georgetown University Prisons and Justice Initiative

05/22/2026

Congratulations to the winners of the Georgetown Pivot Program's 2026 Pitch Competition! On May 6, Cohort 8 fellows presented their business ventures to a panel of Georgetown faculty, alumni, and D.C. entrepreneurs. After an afternoon of impressive pitches, three fellows earned top honors and seed funding to bring their visions to life:

1st Place: Earnest Hanible, Good Works Grooming Co.
2nd Place: Celeste Santifer, Culture Lab
3rd Place: Leon Richardson, Capital Space Landscaping

Honorable mentions: Diego Cunningham, Melvin McLean, Bryan Burwell, Justin Moore, and DeAnthony Campbell.

Read the full event recap:

The Pivot Program’s annual Pitch Competition returned on Wednesday, May 6, and the fellows did not disappoint! Fellows from the current cohort presented their business concepts to a panel of Georgetown faculty, alumni, and entrepreneurs from across the District. After a full afternoon of pitches, ...

04/28/2026

Don’t miss this year’s Making an Exoneree event! The student documentary showcase is tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Lohrfink Auditorium. Register for the event now:

Join Making an Exoneree for the premiere of five student-produced documentaries that examine wrongful conviction cases from across the country. Throughout the spring 2026 semester, Georgetown undergraduate students collaborated with Georgetown Law students in the Making an Exoneree course, dedicatin...

04/23/2026

The spring issue of Georgetown Magazine is now live! This issue features a story on PJI’s Family First Program and the impactful work Colie "Shaka" Long, PJI program associate, is doing to help strengthen family bonds.

The piece, “Family bonding through experiential trips,” highlights how meaningful shared experiences can support connection and healing for families impacted by the legal system.

Read the story to learn more!

Jade Nunez, left, and Jessica Trejo visit the Prisons and Justice Initiative office in downtown Washington, DC. PJI’s Family First Program helped the family strengthen their bond through experiential trips. […]

04/20/2026

Join us for the 2026 Making an Exoneree event!

Georgetown undergraduate and law students spent the spring semester producing documentaries that examine the wrongful convictions of Scott Jones, Markale Lundy, Jeremy Phillips, Anthony Thompson, and Stacey Tyler — individuals who spent a combined 114 years in prison for crimes they did not commit.

Witness the power of storytelling and justice in action. These five documentaries highlight both the lives affected and the students’ efforts to uncover the truth.

Date: Wednesday, April 29
Time: 7–9 p.m. EDT (refreshments served at 6 p.m.)
Location: Lohrfink Auditorium, Rafik B. Hariri Building, 37th and O Streets NW, Washington, D.C.

Register for the event: https://bit.ly/2026MakingAnExoneree

04/14/2026

As an administrative coordinator for PJI’s prison education programs, Samantha Simonsen supports incarcerated students in obtaining their Georgetown degrees. A recent Georgetown graduate herself, Simonsen said she feels lucky to help other students toward the same goal.

“Getting to help provide that and offer that to other people and to see what a profound impact it has in our students’ lives is really rewarding,” said Simonsen.

Read more about her story and work: https://prisonsandjustice.georgetown.edu/news/from-one-campus-to-another-georgetown-graduate-helps-incarcerated-students-get-georgetown-degrees/

Samantha Simonsen joined PJI as a Georgetown graduate in January 2025. Now, she’s helping incarcerated students get their Georgetown degrees. As the administrative coordinator for prison education, Simonsen works directly with PJI’s Bachelor of Liberal Arts (BLA) program at the Patuxent Institut...

03/24/2026

This January, Making an Exoneree welcomed 15 students to its ninth cohort at Georgetown University. Over the course of the semester, undergraduate students have been working together in teams of three to reinvestigate a total of five cases of wrongful conviction and produce a documentary on each. Since its founding in 2018, students from the Making an Exoneree course have contributed to the release of 13 wrongfully convicted individuals.

Read more about this year's program below.

This January, Making an Exoneree (MAE) welcomed 15 students to its ninth cohort at Georgetown University. Over the course of the semester, undergraduate students have been working together in teams of three to reinvestigate a total of five cases of wrongful conviction and produce a documentary on ea...

03/11/2026

Join the Georgetown University Department of Performing Arts and the Georgetown Prisons and Justice Initiative for "Listening Guide to Incarceration," a staged documentary performance created by Professor Benjamin J. Harbert, Joel Castón, and Michael Woody.

Moving from 1930s prison work songs to contemporary recordings from the DC Jail, the piece traces a shift from music as expression to sound as environment. Through reenactment, lecture, live music, field recordings, and participatory listening exercises, the performers introduce the concept of carceral acoustemology—learning to know, trust, and navigate the world through sound within enclosure.

The performance will take place in Devine Theatre in the Davis Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 20 at 7 pm, Saturday, March 21 at 7 pm, and Sunday, March 22 at 2 pm. Scan the QR code to register or visit https://events.georgetown.edu/performingarts/event/32474-listening-guide-to-incarceration.

02/09/2026

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Georgetown University Prisons and Justice Initiative. 🎉

Over the past decade, PJI has helped 13 wrongfully convicted individuals return home to their families and communities, launched a Bachelor of Liberal Arts program at the Patuxent Institution, celebrated two Prison Scholars Program participants who became the first and second incarcerated individuals to serve as commissioners of an Advisory Neighborhood Commission in Ward 7, and graduated more than 150 students from the MORCA-Georgetown Paralegal Program and the Georgetown Pivot Program.

We are grateful to the community that makes this work possible and proud to keep building pathways to justice. Thank you for 10 years of impact, learning, and shared purpose. 💙

Join us in celebrating this milestone by making a gift and helping PJI continue its work into the next decade: https://bit.ly/4r3fJ1u

02/04/2026

“As a Black woman, I often see people who look just like me when I enter these spaces. The legal system disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities, and I hope that highlighting the talent and intelligence of our students helps break down stereotypes.” — Valerie Coats, program manager, Georgetown Prisons and Justice Initiative Prison Scholars Program

We are proud to see PJI staff member Valerie Coats featured in Georgetown University’s Black History Month spotlight, celebrating the voices, leadership and impact of Black students, alumni, faculty and staff across the university.

Learn more about Coats' work and the difference she is making through the Prison Scholars Program: https://bit.ly/4cbSqhn

01/27/2026

Join the Prisons and Justice Initiative team!

We’re hiring a site coordinator to provide essential, on-site support for the daily operations of the Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree program at the Patuxent Institution in Maryland. This role is ideal for someone who is organized, mission-driven, and passionate about expanding access to higher education within carceral settings.

Apply here:

Georgetown University comprises two unique campuses in the nation’s capital. With the Hilltop Campus located in the heart of the historic Georgetown neighborhood, and the Capitol Campus, just minutes from the U.S. Capitol and U.S. Supreme Court, Georgetown University offers rigorous academic progr...

01/08/2026

This NBC News video tells the story of the remarkable bond between Rob and Michele Reiner and Nanon Williams, who has spent decades in prison for a crime he did not commit.

In 2019, led by PJI director and Making an Exoneree co-founder Marc Howard, Georgetown students reinvestigated Williams’ case through the MAE course, culminating in a public documentary that reveals the injustices that led to his conviction.

As we mourn the Reiners’ tragic loss, we honor the compassion and courage that led them to stand beside Nanon Williams.

View the story here:

Nanon Williams was sent to death row decades ago for a crime he says he didn't commit. NBC News’ Dan Slepian reports on how Williams became like family to the Reiners as they helped him fight for freedom. In this exclusive report, we find out what a man convicted of murder and a titan of Hollywood...