Innocence Blog

June 6, 2007

Louisiana exoneree starts reentry program

John Thompson spent 18 years in Louisiana prison – including 14 on death row – for a murder he didn’t commit. When a prosecutor made public that he had concealed evidence at Thompson’s 1984 trial that could have proven his innocence, he got a new trial and was acquitted of the charges in 2003.

Thompson was released with a small bag of possessions and given $10 for bus fare. He says he founded Resurrection After Exoneration to make sure that no future exonerees are dropped into freedom like he was. And he was recently awarded a two-year, $60,000 grant from Echoing Green to build RAE’s capacity.

Thompson said the wrongfully convicted have a hard time finding a place to live where they can be at peace. Most are forced to move in with family members, which can cause turmoil. Former inmates often have difficulties communicating because no one understands what they’ve been through and the effect it’s had on their psyche.

“You can’t communicate with your family. You don’t know what you’re supposed to be doing,” Thompson said. “You’re supposed to get a job but because of your record or attitude you can’t. It’s not what we wanted to come home to but we have no choice. And that’s the worst — being a grown man having to depend on someone else for help. And it all goes back to that one thing — what I experienced in that prison but no one wants to recognize it.”

Resurrection After Exoneration will offer the wrongfully convicted a place to live, jobs and courses in how to manage finances. Participants will be asked to set aside at least 25 percent of their paychecks in savings accounts. After a year, RAE will match the savings to help find independent housing.

Read the full story. (New Orleans City Business, 06/04/07)

NOTE: Because Thompson was not exonerated as a result of DNA testing, his case is not listed as one of the 202 DNA exonerations tracked by the Innocence Project.

Time Magazine: A Milestone for the Innocence Project

A feature on Time Magazine’s website this week gives a brief history of the Innocence Project upon the milestone of the 200th DNA exoneration nationwide and includes a slideshow with the stories of 10 exonerees.

"We never realized we would be getting thousands of requests each year," (Innocence Project Co-Director Peter) Neufeld says. As the full-time staff grew — today the team has 38 people, including attorneys, an intake department and a policy department — so did the exoneration rate. Between 1992 and 2002, the project oversaw 100 exonerations; since 2002, it's taken half that time to exonerate 100 more. "Ultimately, the criteria are very simple," Neufeld says of the cases the project chooses to take. "Is it a case where identity is an issue? Is it a case where biological evidence was collected during the initial investigation?"

Read the full story. (Time Magazine, 6/5/07) View the slideshow.

Read and watch more media coverage of the 200th DNA exoneration in our special section: 200 Exonerated, Too Many Wrongfully Convicted.

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