Post-conviction claims of innocence and exonerations can cause deep, complex trauma to the victims and survivors of the original crime. Most victims and survivors in these cases receive too little information and support, and feel alone throughout the post-conviction process. Victims and survivors need information, support, and services when claims of innocence last beyond the trial and result in ongoing case activity for years after the original crime.
Healing Justice is here to support you. You deserve to have your needs met and your voice heard.
We offer comprehensive support through a range of tailored programs that address your and your family’s needs in cases involving post-conviction claims of innocence, both before and after an exoneration.
Connect with a trained peer supporter who can provide encouragement, guidance, and support based on similar lived experiences.
The Trauma Recovery and Resiliency Peer Support Group is a six-week virtual program designed to build connections between participants and learn coping and recovery tools.
Our unique restorative justice program is designed specifically to address the harms that crime victims and survivors and exonerated individuals have experienced in cases involving wrongful convictions and exonerations, often bringing together individuals impacted by the same case.
Our retreats invite people who have been directly impacted by a wrongful conviction to come together in a safe, nurturing, and confidential space and speak openly about their trauma and loss, provide peer support to one another, identify ways their needs can be met, and begin the road to healing and recovery.
These videos share the individual stories of others directly impacted by these cases and seek to provide peer understanding and support.
The Post-Conviction Survivor Resource Center is an online resource center where all crime victims and survivors can find critical information and get support after a conviction in their case.
For more information about our programs, please contact us at connect@healingjusticeproject.org.
We support crime victims and survivors at any stage that occurs during review of a post-conviction claim of innocence and before and after an exoneration.
Survivors of sexual assault crimes share their experiences as original victims with unmet needs in cases involving post-conviction claims of innocence and exonerations. Please note this video contains emotional content.
Family members who have lost loved ones in homicide cases with overturned convictions share their experiences as crime survivors who have fallen outside the reach of traditional victim services. Please note this video contains emotional content.
Andrea is the daughter of Jacqueline Harrison, who was brutally tortured, raped, and killed.. Almost two decades later, the man convicted was exonerated and released, leaving the crime a “cold” case and leaving Andrea and her family feeling devastated and abandoned by the justice system. Andrea describes how she has now become the voice for justice for her mother, who was rendered voiceless by her attacker when he crushed her voice box before murdering her.
Andrea Harrison
Victim Family Member, New Jersey
Loretta was only 15 years old when she was brutally attacked and raped while walking to school. She barely survived the attack but did her best to help police apprehend the perpetrator. 14 years later, DNA tests led to the exoneration of the man who had been convicted, leaving Loretta emotionally reeling and facing many years of trying to recover not just from the original crime but from the conviction being undone. The attack is now considered a cold case, and Loretta struggles to understand how the criminal legal system failed her so badly.
Loretta White
Crime Survivor, Indiana
Debbie is a rape survivor who was brutally assaulted when she returned home to her apartment in 1985. She learned 23 years later that the person who she was led to believe had raped her was actually innocent. Since then, she has met with the exoneree in her case, and both remain supportive of one another. The actual perpetrator, identified through DNA testing, was unable to be prosecuted because the legal deadline for prosecuting him had passed.
Debbie Jones
Crime Survivor, Texas
Dwayne and Jacqueline Harrison were parents of two young daughters when Jacqueline was brutally tortured, raped, and murdered. 19 years later, the man who was convicted of the murder was exonerated and released, causing profound confusion and trauma to Dwayne and the rest of the family. The murder is now considered “cold” and the family feels abandoned and forgotten by the justice system.
Dwayne Jones
Victim Family Member, New Jersey
When she was 12 years old, a stranger broke into Tomeshia’s home and assaulted her while she was asleep in her bedroom. Though only a child, Tomeshia did her best to assist police with apprehending the assailant. A man was charged and convicted of the crime but 17 years later DNA testing led to his exoneration and identification of the actual perpetrator. While the true perpetrator was ultimately identified and convicted, the exoneration process caused Tomeshia to feel re-victimized and re-traumatized and forced to begin the healing process all over again.
Tomeshia Artis
Crime Survivor, North Carolina
Christy is a family member of Debra Sue Carter, who was raped and murdered when she was 21. A main prosecution witness testified that two local men were responsible. More than a decade later, DNA testing proved that both men were innocent, and that the actual perpetrator was the witness who had accused them. Christy and her family were the last to learn about the DNA testing and exonerations and describe the immense confusion, fear, and grief they experienced upon learning that the originally convicted men were being released and the actual perpetrator had been free all along.
Christy has described how an exoneration, while a dream come true for innocent prisoners and their families, is the beginning of a nightmare for the original crime victims and their families.
Christy Sheppard
Victim Family Member, Oklahoma
Penny barely survived a brutal attack while she was running on a beach. The attacker left her for dead, and she was found by good Samaritans who got her to safety. While still recovering, she was asked to help police identify the attacker. Police had already focused on the man they believed responsible. 18 years later, that man who was originally convicted sought DNA testing, which led to his exoneration. Understanding that she had rights, Penny insisted on being included in case proceedings so that she could remain involved in the case and stay aware of developments in the exoneration process.
Penny Beerntsen
Crime Survivor, Wisconsin
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