Conviction

In the series premiere, “Pilot”, Hayes needs to dig herself out of what could be a publicly embarrassing situation. She makes a clandestine deal with her adversary, Conner Wallace, to take on the Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) and justice system in order to save face, not only for herself, but for her family.

Hayes confronts Wallace head-on, investigating the case that made his career: the Prospect 3. Three young white men confessed to the rape and robbery of a young black woman. Hayes hopes to catch Wallace off guard with the team's investigation, but when the young woman's character takes a hit in the press, she is victimized for a second time.

The CIU team works to exonerate a political activist serving a life sentence for planting a bomb at a mosque that killed a prominent Imam and three worshippers. The re-examination of the case calls into question the NYPD's role, which puts Hayes in Wallace's crosshairs.

Hayes' recent transgressions spark a media firestorm. Meanwhile, she and the team tackle the highly-sensitive case of a mother, Penny, convicted for the death of her autistic son. The state's evidence come from Penny's own video blog, which express her frustrations and fears about her violent son. While the CIU team tracks multiple leads, Hayes must do damage control in an attempt to save her job.

Hayes launches into damage-control mode following her controversial nationally-televised interview, seeking to limit the repercussions within her family and to her mother's Senate campaign. Meanwhile, the CIU takes on the case of a young man from the wrong side of the tracks, convicted for killing a wealthy woman whose privileged family took him in and treated him as one of their own.

The accidental death of an African-American boy, shot by a cop, sparks a racial firestorm and inspires Hayes to re-examine the controversial case of Porscha Williams, an African-American civil-rights activist. Meanwhile, Maxine finds herself torn between her racial identity and her chosen profession, as she follows the case to its shocking conclusion.