Innocence Blog

Massachusetts exoneree awarded for his commitment to criminal justice reform

Posted: April 11, 2007

Dennis Maher served 19 years in prison for a rape he didn’t commit. Since his exoneration in 2003, he has devoted himself to traveling the country to speak out in support of criminal justice reforms that will prevent future injustice.

He now works as a mechanic for Waste Management, a national company which recently awarded him its Erich Jenkins Life Changer Award for the work he has done.

Erich Jenkins was a former NFL player and vice president of a national fitness company who was killed when his vehicle was struck by a Waste Management truck in 2002. Jenkins believed in the power of one person to change a life and his mantra was adopted by Waste Management.

Working with the Innocence Project "makes me feel good, because I have an impact on other exonerateds' lives," Maher said. He added that the award was not something he was seeking, but that it feels good to be recognized.

Read the full story. (Gloucester Times (MA), 04/07/07)