Re-entry into society following incarceration can be very complicated. But add to the mix a wrongful conviction, and it can become downright traumatizing. 但一名前囚犯, imprisoned for 17 years for a crime he did not commit, has maintained a positive mindset throughout his incarceration and since his release 11 months ago.
上周四, 理查德·霍顿访问了澳门银河网站, 还有他的妻子, 珍妮, to share his story of gaining his freedom through the work of the Ohio 无罪项目. Pierce Reed, the 无罪项目’s director of Policy and Engagement, accompanied them.
“We need to communicate these great stories. We need people to have awareness,” Pierce told Dr. Sarah Lazzari’s Intro to 犯罪学 class and more than 30 additional ’Berg students.
Attorneys and students at the Ohio Innocence Ohio 无罪项目 work to help wrongfully convicted inmates get out of prison and get the justice they deserve. “The government gives you physical freedom. 但真正的自由——经济自由, 精神和情感安全, 没有哪个政府能给你这些,皮尔斯说.
自1989年以来, 大约3,500 individuals who have been wrongfully convicted have gained their freedom – 110 of them Ohioans. 理查德·霍顿就是其中之一.
理查德的故事
The condensed version of 理查德的故事 goes like this: Secure in his innocence, he turned himself into Columbus Police in late 2004 on charges of aggravated robbery, felonious assault and other allegations in connection with a home invasion and shooting. In February 2006, he was convicted and sentenced to 23 years in prison.
“这是一个很大的打击. It was horrific,” said Richard, then 28 years old.
Over time, he had reached out to the 无罪项目, “just trying to get someone’s attention.“他们终于在2015年联系上了.
在理查的案例中, law school students figured out a new form of DNA testing which was used on the shell casing from the gun fired during the crime. In 2019, tests identified a DNA profile that excluded Richard as the perpetrator.
Richard never wavered in his claim of innocence. He was granted a new trial and released on bond in 2022. Ultimately, there would be no new trial. The prosecution dismissed the case in May 2023.
“I thank God as many times as I possibly can,” he said.
珍妮的故事
Richard and his wife, 珍妮, had been married just six months when he was incarcerated. 整个经历让我付出了代价, but they stood together because both believed so fiercely in Richard’s innocence. 他们的爱情故事.
The trial itself was so frustrating, 珍妮 said. “压力很大. 我病得很重,”她说. “It was so hard to sit there and have to listen” to the testimony. But she had strong, unwavering support from her family as well as Richard’s family. Through the years, she was asked many times, “Do you think he’s innocent?” Her response, every time, was “It’s not a question. 这是事实. I never had to defend him to my family.”
The hardest part was going on visits, 珍妮 said. Richard has two young children and she worked with his ex-partner to make sure he could see his kids while he was incarcerated too. 发布后的, the couple has had to adjust to being together again, 她说, “这是一个很好的调整. 我很高兴他能回家.”
今天
Richard still deals with the trauma of the wrongful conviction: PTSD and depression, as does 珍妮.
Throughout the turmoil of incarceration, he kept perspective and a positive attitude.
“When you’re incarcerated, there’s a lot of chaos. Quite a few of these gentlemen are never going home. That made me even more thankful and helped me keep my sanity and stay calm.“这并不容易. Richard passed the time working out, doing sports and reading a lot. 每天都是一场战斗.
“There are some things I will never get back,” he said, “but I’m OK.”
It would seem reasonable to be angry at the time lost and the failure of the criminal justice system, 但理查德没时间. “我很高兴正义得到了伸张. I don’t feel like I should carry anger into my new life. 我真的只想向前看.”
尽管在监狱里的耻辱, Richard today has a good job and good health care for his family. It all plays into his mission to help create awareness for others wrongfully convicted
“我不介意这种耻辱. I see it as an opportunity, a teachable moment. 我试着去接受它. …
“I don’t have time for ‘oh, woe is me' moments.”