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Here’s what’s been going on at the Innocence Project in the last month.
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Innocence Network Conference leaders including Rodney Roberts, Termaine Hicks, Anna Vasquez, Robert Jones, and Jerome Morgan at the Freedom Parade in New Orleans. (Image: Alicia Maule/Innocence Project)
“There’s No Other Place Like It On The Planet”: The Innocence Network Conference Shines Through New Orleans
In March, more than 1,200 people, including 400 freed and exonerated people, their families, and teams, came together for the 2024 Innocence Network Conference in New Orleans. For more than two decades, this annual gathering has welcomed people directly affected by wrongful convictions from around the world, alongside advocates and allies committed to justice, healing, and re-entry support. This year, we second-lined through the vibrant streets of New Orleans, echoing chants of “no justice, no peace” as hundreds of participants, some waving signs proclaiming “Execution is not the solution”, joined in. It was an amazing and inspiring weekend all about uplifting those who’ve been wronged by our criminal legal system. Take a
moment today to check out some of the highlights from the conference.
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Innocence Project’s Shirley Wu, Jane Pucher, and Jessica Rawlins Smith. (Image: Innocence Project)
Meet Six Trailblazing Women Who Are Fighting Against Wrongful Conviction
A data scientist, a fundraiser with a passion for building diverse teams, and a social worker whose identity as a queer, Palestinian woman gives unique insight to barriers navigated by her clients — the Innocence Project’s team is made up of strong women leaders who work tirelessly to transform our criminal legal system. For Women’s History Month, we celebrated the incredible women on our team who are advocating for a more just system and fighting to advance the innocence movement every single day. So please, read more about six of the amazing women on our team and the work they do to transform our criminal legal system.
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Photos of Levon Brooks over the years (Image: Courtesy of the Brooks family)
Levon Brooks’ Exoneration Anniversary
Sixteen years ago, Levon Brooks was exonerated after spending nearly two decades in prison for a crime he did not commit. Sadly, Levon passed away from cancer in 2018, but his legacy endures and continues to inform our work. If you’d like to learn more about his story, you can watch our Netflix series, The Innocence Files, which focuses on the cases of eight wrongfully convicted people, including Levon. Please take a moment to read more about the series and be sure to share it with your friends and family.
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(Image: Innocence Project)
How Poor Oral Health Care in Prison Continues to Burden Wrongfully Convicted People
March 20 marked World Oral Health Day. Some folks may not understand the connection between oral health care and the work we do at the Innocence Project, but dental care is actually a huge issue for those who have been wrongfully convicted. The poor quality, and often the brutality, of dental care in prison has deep and lasting consequences for many people caught in the carceral system. Please, take a moment to learn more about the state of dental health care in prisons.
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 (Image: Innocence Project)
Win a Free to Trip to NYC for the Innocence Project’s Annual Gala
Every year, the Innocence Project holds a gala to celebrate exonerees and the incredible community who helps make this work possible — and we want YOU to be there. All you have to do is make a donation right now, and you’ll be automatically entered for your chance to win a free trip to New York City, along with a guest, to attend the Innocence Project's annual gala. It’s going to be a night filled with inspiration that you won’t want to miss. So be sure to enter today!
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Exonerations Around the U.S.
Exoneration Project client Frank Burrell was exonerated on March 5, 2024, after serving 20 years wrongfully incarcerated; Exoneration Project client Frank Drew was exonerated on March 12, 2024, after serving 24.5 years wrongfully incarcerated; Innocence Project New Orleans client Jerry Davis was exonerated on March 15, 2024, after serving 40 years wrongfully incarcerated.
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