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What’s been going on at the Innocence Project?
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Jonathan Smith was released from Talbot County DOC Wednesday, April 21, 2021 after 21 years of wrongful incarceration. He was greeted by his two sons, one of whom, Jonathan Jr., is pictured here picking him up. (Image: Eric Kayne/AP Images for the Innocence Project)
Jonathan Smith Walks Free After 21 Years of Wrongful Imprisonment
In 1987, a 64-year-old woman was murdered in Maryland, but the case went cold. Fourteen years later, Jonathan Smith was convicted and sentenced to life for the crime, even though no physical evidence linked him or his two co-defendants to the murder. This month, after spending nearly 21 years in prison, Jonathan was finally freed. Read more about his story.
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A memorial to George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Image: munshots/Unsplash)
George Floyd should be alive today
Earlier this month, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of all three charges against him for the murder of George Floyd. But regardless of the verdict, George Floyd should be alive today. And the failures of our systems that led to his horrifying death must be closely examined and corrected to restore trust and achieve fairness and equality. Read Executive Director Christina Swarns’ full statement here.
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Tell the U.S. Senate to Eliminate Qualified Immunity
Qualified immunity is a judicial doctrine developed by the Supreme Court in the 1960s, which shields public officials from liability for misconduct, even when they have broken the law. This means people can’t hold the government accountable for wrongdoing. Fully eliminating qualified immunity would allow people, including the wrongfully convicted, to sue for violations of their constitutional rights.
Will you call your senator at 202-949-6846 and urge them to fully eliminate qualified immunity and hold public officials accountable for their actions?
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Pervis Payne one million collage. Photo courtesy of PervisPayne.org.
Join Pervis Payne’s Fight for Justice
Pervis Payne, who has an intellectual disability and a strong innocence claim, has been on death row in Tennessee for more than 30 years. Recently, the Tennessee Legislature passed a bipartisan bill to modernize the state’s intellectual disability law and prevent the unconstitutional execution of people with intellectual disabilities like Pervis. This is a huge win, but the fight for justice isn’t over. We’re trying to reach 1 million supporters for Pervis. So if you haven’t yet, will you join the more than 700,000 people who are fighting for justice in this case? And show your support with this limited edition Free Pervis Payne T-shirt and mask.
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Termaine Hicks was released from SCI Phoenix Prison on Dec. 16, 2020, in Collegeville, Penn. His brothers Tone Hicks and Tyron McClendon greeted him upon release. (Image: Jason E. Miczek/AP Images for the Innocence Project)
4 Wrongly Convicted Poets on What Poetry Means to Them
April is National Poetry Month! So we wanted to highlight some wrongly convicted poets who used writing as both a tool to process their incarceration experience and escape it. Take a moment today to read their stories and learn why writing poetry is so important to them.
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Exonerations Around the U.S.
Michigan Innocence Clinic client Shawn Brown was exonerated on April 6, 2021, after spending nine years wrongfully incarcerated.
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