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The relatively recent advent of DNA technology has done much to further the cause of justice.
This includes bringing violent criminals to justice in cases that would have never been solved without DNA evidence, sometimes many years after these crimes were committed and all hope of identifying the perpetrator had been lost.
This also includes the exoneration of wrongfully convicted individuals, many of whom have spent decades in prison for violent crimes they didn’t commit, where years later DNA technology has established their true innocence.
Unfortunately, for this latter group, their joyous release from prison typically marks the beginning of a new struggle that can be as difficult as prison life for some, as the euphoria that comes with being released into society quickly gives way to the reality of being unprepared to cope with the upheaval that comes with it.
After all, just because someone is actually innocent doesn’t mean their reintegration into society is going to be any easier after years of incarceration than that of someone who actually committed the crime for which they were imprisoned.
And typically, when a convict is released from prison, there is a parole system in place to monitor and assist their reintegration into society, including guidance and oversight with respect to finding housing, employment, and therapeutic services.
However, the typical exoneree is not a part of that system. Instead, they are deemed innocent, and those services available to a convict released on parole are not extended to them. But, of course, they still suffer many of the same problems adjusting to life on the outside.
In response to this need for a support system to benefit the wrongfully convicted, The Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2009 established the Life After Innocence program.
The stated mission of Loyola’s Life After Innocence program is to help the innocent re-enter society and enable them “to reclaim their rights as citizens, through individualized legal and support services and wider-reaching public policy initiatives.”
Its support services include medical, dental, mental health, counseling, financial, employment, legal and housing services, all of which represent a challenging prospect to anyone who has spent decades in the institutional environment of prison life.
The Life After Innocence program was started by Loyola Professor Laura Caldwell.
“The criminal justice system in America gets called to the mat a lot,” says Caldwell. “People try to point out its inadequacies and point out its failures,”
The relatively recent advent of DNA technology has done much to further the cause of justice.
This includes bringing violent criminals to justice in cases that would have never been solved without DNA evidence, sometimes many years after these crimes were committed and all hope of identifying the perpetrator had been lost.
This also includes the exoneration of wrongfully convicted individuals, many of whom have spent decades in prison for violent crimes they didn’t commit, where years later DNA technology has established their true innocence.
Unfortunately, for this latter group, their joyous release from prison typically marks the beginning of a new struggle that can be as difficult as prison life for some, as the euphoria that comes with being released into society quickly gives way to the reality of being unprepared to cope with the upheaval that comes with it.
After all, just because someone is actually innocent doesn’t mean their reintegration into society is going to be any easier after years of incarceration than that of someone who actually committed the crime for which they were imprisoned.
And typically, when a convict is released from prison, there is a parole system in place to monitor and assist their reintegration into society, including guidance and oversight with respect to finding housing, employment, and therapeutic services.
However, the typical exoneree is not a part of that system. Instead, they are deemed innocent, and those services available to a convict released on parole are not extended to them. But, of course, they still suffer many of the same problems adjusting to life on the outside.
In response to this need for a support system to benefit the wrongfully convicted, The Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2009 established the Life After Innocence program.
The stated mission of Loyola’s Life After Innocence program is to help the innocent re-enter society and enable them “to reclaim their rights as citizens, through individualized legal and support services and wider-reaching public policy initiatives.”
Its support services include medical, dental, mental health, counseling, financial, employment, legal and housing services, all of which represent a challenging prospect to anyone who has spent decades in the institutional environment of prison life.
The Life After Innocence program was started by Loyola Professor Laura Caldwell.
“The criminal justice system in America gets called to the mat a lot,” says Caldwell. “People try to point out its inadequacies and point out its failures,”
“At the Life After Innocence project, we’re not here to do that. We recognize that there are predominantly in the criminal justice system a lot of devoted judges, prosecutors and cops who do their very best to make sure that we’re safe.
“The fact of the matter is though, mistakes happen, and people are wrongfully convicted. And the fact of the matter is that they need help when they get out.”
That, says Caldwell, is why the Life After Innocence program was started. Because, just like those released from prison on parole, exonerees also need a support system ready to help them with their transition back into society.
More information about Loyola Law School’s Life After Innocence program can be found online at www.luc.edu/law/lifeafterinnocence, or on You Tube, by searching “Life After Innocence.” This video footage is enlightening.
