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.
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