The Sing Sing Files

One Journalist, Six Innocent Men, and a Twenty-Year Fight for Justice

By: Dan Slepian

Narrated by: Dan Slepian

The author's podcast, Letters from Sing Sing, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

This program is read by the author and features sound design and original archival sound recordings from Sing Sing maximum-security prison, including letters written to the author. It also includes commentary from formerly incarcerated men.

An NBC Dateline producer's cinematic account of his two-decade journey navigating the broken criminal justice system to help free six innocent men

In 2002, Dan Slepian, a veteran producer for NBC’s Dateline, received a tip from a Bronx homicide detective that two men were serving twenty-five years to life in prison for a 1990 murder they did not commit.

Haunted by what the detective had told him, Slepian began an investigation of the case that eventually resulted in freedom for the two men and launched Slepian on a two-decade personal and professional journey into a deeply flawed justice system fiercely resistant to rectifying—or even acknowledging—its mistakes and their consequences.

The Sing Sing Files: One Journalist, Six Innocent Men, and a Twenty-Year Fight for Justice is Slepian’s account of challenging that system. The story follows Slepian on years of prison visits, court hearings, and street reporting that led to a series of powerful Dateline episodes and eventually to freedom for four other men and to an especially deep and lasting friendship with one of them, Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez. From his cell in Sing Sing, JJ aided Slepian in his investigations until his own release in 2021 after decades in prison.

Like Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy, The Sing Sing Files is a deeply personal account of wrongful imprisonment and the flaws in our justice system, and a powerful argument for reckoning and accountability. Slepian’s extraordinary book, at once painful and full of hope, shines a light on an injustice whose impact the nation has only begun to confront.

A Macmillan Audio production from Celadon Books.

©2024 Dan Slepian (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Dan Slepian has written a book that is as informative as it is enraging. In these gripping case studies of innocent men wrongfully convicted, you learn how and why the truth often does not prevail in the American justice system. You also get a glimpse of the strength of the human spirit and of heroic efforts to right these wrongs. The stories are inspiring and so is the author. He has spent a career 'given the buried voice sound,' as one incarcerated man put it. This volume is on full blast with this tour-de-force. This is a must-read for anyone who cares about criminal justice, mass incarceration, or humanity."—Rachel Barkow, author of Prisoners of Politics: Breaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration and Professor at NYU, School of Law

"This passionate, gripping, and moving chronicle of a skeptical journalist’s twenty year journey investigating injustice leads him, remarkably, to six innocent men, close friends, and a nuanced understanding of the humanity, resilience, and limitless potential of those we imprison, guilty or innocent. Dan Slepian’s engrossing insider’s narrative lays bare the infuriating incapacity and willful blindness of New York prosecutors, police, defense lawyers, and judges to recognize and correct wrongful convictions. The Sing Sing Files is a vitally important book that inspires hope that we can and will do better."—Barry Scheck, Co-Founder and Special Counsel, the Innocence Project

“While recounting his heroic efforts to free six wrongfully convicted men,
Dan Slepian uncovers the tremendous obstacles to truth and justice that plague our criminal legal system. He shows that the problems are both systemic and personal, as institutions and actors protect their own reputations rather than fix the egregious mistakes and wrongdoings that have ruined the lives of countless people and their families. The Sing Sing Files should inspire readers to create a new generation of leaders who will genuinely pursue justice.”—Marc Howard, director of the Prisons and Justice Initiative at Georgetown University

Extra extraordinary and captivating Read!

This book was so captivating. I couldn’t seem to stop listening. My heart felt like it was broken for many of the people falsely convicted in the book. The author put together an extraordinary read. He is a hero, undoubtedly, thank you to the author!

Eye Opening Cases

John, you did a great job bringing your stories to light. There were so many WTF and WTH’s throughout your story. Thank you for helping me to understand the other side of a story. God Bless!

Good listen

It’s unfortunate to hear how negligence, at the hands of the criminal justice system, impacted the lives of these people. Also, the amount of time that it took to review their convictions was insane. Great story telling and scene setting. Good read!

The storyline was compelling.

Great voice and even better story! The preview on Dateline convinced me to sign up for Audible.

Outstanding performance, thought provoking, page turner

I loved that not only did Dan Slepian read his own book but he included others voices and recordings as he told the story. This gave it depth and perspective. I didn’t know before reading this that I should even think about or consider our criminal justice system. This brings so many new thoughts and questions to my mind. It was so well done and a quick read. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

Heart wrenching but the research has been done!

Listened in 2 days, Dan keep helping these people! Bring us more and how we can help information!

It was shocking…

I was captivated the entire time listening to this book. I’m saddened to hear how frequent wrongful convictions occur. Dan Slepian did an amazing job being the voice for so many people that don’t have one.

Incredible

As the daughter and sister of deputy district attorneys I always take stories of “He’s innocent,” with a grain of salt. To hear the evidence (or lack thereof) that these men were put away with, however, makes the blood run cold.

Thank you sir

Well written and read, I like that he reads it in the audio book. Even though I’d already heard JJ’s story this was just as engaging. Not to mention the other stories he told. We have to do better!!

Amazing book.

The honesty of the author was great. listening to this audio book was so much better. I could hear the joy, the pain, the frustration and disbelief in the words. For this author to put in so much, and so many years is what is truly amazing.