Last week in Kansas City, Missouri, exonerees joined family and advocates in a powerful rally of support for Keith Carnes, calling for his immediate release. Convicted of a 2003 murder and sentenced to life in prison, Keith Carnes has spent close to two decades insisting on his innocence. Recent findings show evidence of his innocence. See the article from KSHB 41 Kansas City News, Ju Yeon Kim.
We are currently seeking exonerees to participate on our Advisory Board and lead as the affected body in the pursuit for justice.
Those most impacted should be at the forefront of the wrongful conviction movement informing policies and programs that ensure justice for exonerees and promote their wellness and healing.
Benefits to participating:
Email or call for more information about the Advisory Board and if you’re interested in joining the team!
Research conducted for and by exonerated individuals, this survey aims to understand coping mechanisms and needs among people who were wrongfully incarcerated.
In partnership with Exonerated Nation, our research team includes exonerees Gloria Killian and Zavion Johnson and faculty from the Touro University California Public Health Program.
Our organizations are committed to the belief that exonerees have every right to pursue their dreams, feel safe, reunite with their families, and heal. We are committed to highlighting the public health impacts of incarceration and providing evidence to support policy recommendations that establish a framework to safeguard access to mental health services and support for exonerees.
While limited, research suggests that the unique trauma of wrongful conviction has profound adverse mental health implications which challenge reintegration, well-being and healing. In this study we examined exoneree perceptions of their mental health and coping mechanisms used to support healing:
What Promotes healing among the wrongfully convicted? Results from a qualitative study of exonerated persons in California
(published October 2021)
First person finds home under California’s wrongfully convicted housing law after serving 18 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
Jeremy Puckett is the first exoneree in the country to move into a home with help from the State.
EN and the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (CACJ) a statewide association of criminal defense attorneys in private practice and working in public defenders offices, teamed up with Assembly member Shirley Weber (San Diego) on Assembly Bill 701, which was passed in 2019 and took effect January 1, 2020.
The bill requires the State of California to pay for housing costs, such as move-in deposits and monthly rents, for exonerees for up to four years.
Jeremy was welcomed home with a surprise Zoom housewarming party attended by Assembly member Weber, Obie Anthony, his legal team from Northern California Innocence Project and reps from CACJ and Lyon Property Management who worked with Puckett on his rental application, qualifications and found a house for him.
“When I was released, I really didn’t know how I was going to find a place to live. I was relieved to finally be free, but worried about what was next. Without AB 701, I don’t know where I would be.”
Our mission is to meet the immediate needs of exonerees by helping to heal the debilitating spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical effects of being wrongfully incarcerated and to affect policy change for restoration and the righting of wrongs.
Non profit 501c3
© All Rights Reserved. Exonerated Nation.
