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John,
March is Social Work Month, a time to celebrate all of the wonderful social workers in the world and recognize the dedication, expertise, and empathy they impart to serve people in transition.
Exonerees face so many challenges when adjusting to society, including financial stress, difficulty finding housing and employment, and social stigma. A key part of the work we do at the Innocence Project is supporting exonerees after they regain their freedom. The social work team, specifically, plays the critical role of helping freed clients rebuild their lives by helping them find housing, employment, and health care.
Before the month ends, we want to uplift the Innocence Project’s incredible social work team. Please take a moment to read more about the work they do every day, and give them a shout out on your social media platforms.
Re-entry coach Rodney Roberts (center) with fellow exonerees Cornelius Dupree and Johnny Hincapie. (Image: Jennifer Watkins/Lyra Photography)
We’re lucky to have some incredible people on our social work team. People like Rodney Roberts, who, as an exoneree himself, provides a holistic understanding of the challenges the folks we work with face. Having spent 18 years wrongfully incarcerated before he was exonerated and released in 2014, Rodney knows firsthand what it's like to struggle when starting over.
There’s also Eman Ghoneim, who joined the team as a full-time social worker in 2022 after interning at the Innocence Project for a year. When discussing working with recently released clients she said, “Wrongful conviction is a traumatic experience that can impact so many things, especially a client's mental health and well-being, and especially coming from an environment where, for years, they were constantly being told that they were guilty of something they didn't do.” She works every day to help people access critical mental health services.
The truth is, this work is challenging on various levels, but seeing its impact is the ultimate reward. As Innocence Project Social Worker Kyana Champion said, “It's definitely fulfilling, and I would say that those are my proudest moments, just seeing exonerees have the ability to live the lives that they want.”
So in honor of all of the social workers out there, please take a moment to read more about our team’s work and then share their stories with your friends and family online.
Every day, we honor the legacies of these pioneers by rooting our work to transform the criminal legal system in equity and accountability.
Thank you so much,
The Innocence Project Team
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