Tomorrow is the Innocence Project’s 28th birthday. 28 years — and I’ve been here for 18 of them, working alongside a team of great lawyers to fight for the innocent.
After all these years, one thing that will never cease to amaze me is the resilience and steadfast determination of our clients — even when it seems like the entire system is against them and we might never win their freedom.
More clients than I can count have lost appeal after appeal, even when the evidence of their innocence was overwhelming. Others have been repeatedly denied parole, despite spotless prison records, because they refused to show "remorse" for crimes they never committed in the first place.
As their lawyer, it’s often hard for me to handle these losses and setbacks — and I’m not even the one sitting in a prison cell, separated from family and friends. I don't want to romanticize our clients' ordeals, but the way they hold steady and keep the faith in these dark moments is an incredible thing to witness.
My clients' generosity, relentless optimism, and determination to be free in the face of injustice has made me not just a better lawyer over the last 18 years, but a stronger and better person.
I’m forever grateful for the work the Innocence Project does, and for people like you who help make it possible by helping out when you can.
The Innocence Project exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. www.innocenceproject.org
