The Sing Sing Files: One Journalist, Six Innocent Men, and a Twenty-Year Fight for Justice BY Dan Slepian

The Sing Sing Files: One Journalist, Six Innocent Men, and a Twenty-Year Fight for Justice is a gripping account by Dan Slepian, a veteran producer for NBC’s Dateline, who embarked on a relentless quest to expose the flaws in the American criminal justice system. The journey began in 2002 when Slepian received a tip from a Bronx homicide detective about two men imprisoned for a murder they didn’t commit.

Motivated by this revelation, Slepian launched an investigation that would span two decades. His tireless work—marked by years of prison visits, court battles, and street reporting—eventually led to the exoneration of the two wrongfully convicted men and spurred a broader quest for justice. His pursuit uncovered a broken system resistant to admitting or correcting its mistakes.

The book chronicles Slepian's efforts, including his interactions with the wrongly imprisoned men and his deepening relationship with one of them, Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez. From behind bars at Sing Sing, JJ assisted Slepian in uncovering the truth until his own release in 2021, after decades of wrongful imprisonment.

The Sing Sing Files offers a sobering look at the systemic issues within the justice system and is a powerful call for accountability and reform. Echoing Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy, Slepian’s narrative is both a personal and poignant exploration of wrongful imprisonment and the enduring fight for justice. It is a story of hope and resilience, shedding light on an injustice that continues to resonate nationally.