Danny Rincon is a legal educator, paralegal, and wrongful conviction advocate with nearly three decades of experience navigating the legal system from the inside. Having maintained his innocence throughout his incarceration, Danny has channeled that experience into becoming a skilled legal researcher and advocate for others. He has served as a law library clerk across five New York State correctional facilities — in Duchess, Cayuga, Seneca, Wyoming, and Ulster counties — spanning more than two decades of continuous service. His legal skills encompass Section 440 motions, CPLR Article 78 petitions, criminal law research, and actual innocence and wrongful conviction advocacy, and he is fluent in both English and Spanish, having served as a bilingual law clerk throughout his career. He is currently represented by the Exoneration Initiative and is a member of the New York State Defenders Association.
Danny is also a dedicated scholar and published writer. He earned an Associate of Arts from SUNY Cayuga Community College, a Paralegal Certificate with distinction from Blackstone Career Institute, completed criminal law and constitutional law coursework through the Cornell Prison Education Program, and a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from Mount Saint Mary's College. He has published legal essays in The Gunk, Shawangunk Correctional Facility's magazine, including a piece examining why prosecutors resist claims of innocence. He has also written advocacy letters to state legislators and co-founded Families and Friends of the Wrongfully Convicted, a Brooklyn-based legal advocacy organization.
At the heart of Danny's work is an unwavering belief that the law must be made comprehensible and empowering for those most impacted by it. He has spent years advocating alongside wrongfully convicted individuals, helping to secure legal counsel for those pursuing actual innocence claims, organizing rallies, and partnering with legal advocacy organizations to push for reform of the Criminal Procedure Law 440.10 statute. Along with Derrick Hamilton and Shabaka Shakur who have been exonerated, he launched a legal advocacy organization called the Families and Friends against Wrongful Convictions. In 2020, he wrote directly to New York State Assemblyman Dan Quart urging legislation to modernize court transcription through digital recording technology, arguing it would reduce delays and protect the constitutional rights of defendants. Under the LLAW Fellowship, Danny is a co-author to two chapters – “How to Find a Lawyer” and “Appealing Your Conviction Based on Ineffective Assistance of Counsel”. He is currently exploring launching a legal clinic at Shawangunk aided by law Professors Susan Sturm, Nicole Smith, and Steve Zeidman, among other legal advocates, that'll focus on post-conviction work that will focus on C.P.L. 440.20 motions, and sentence reductions via clemency applications. Danny is deeply committed using writing as a tool to underscore the voices and struggles of those behind bars, especially the wrongfully convicted.