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Exonerated Individuals & their Families

Supporting & Empowering Those Wronged by the Legal System

Wrongful convictions cause unimaginable harm and loss to the innocent who were wrongly convicted and imprisoned and to their families. All are robbed of years of freedom and time together, subjected to repeated and complex traumas, and face many obstacles to rebuilding their lives and recovering post-exoneration. All of our programs and resources for exonerated individuals and their families are for individuals who have been acknowledged to be factually innocent and have been legally exonerated.

We are here for you.

Know that you are not alone. Healing Justice can help provide you with the support you need. Our programs and resources are guided by exonerated individuals and family members with lived experiences who have faced similar challenges. This peer-led approach aims to help you in all the ways you may need.

Individual Peer Support

Connect with a trained peer supporter who can provide encouragement, guidance, and support based on similar lived experiences.

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Group Peer Support

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.

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Restorative Justice

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.

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Healing Retreats

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.

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For more information about our programs, please contact us at connect@healingjusticeproject.org.

Voices of Healing

Rosie’s 17-year-old son, Lamonte Mcintyre, was convicted of a double murder in 1994 and sentenced to life in prison. Lamonte returned home at 40-years old after being exonerated in 2017. Rosie worked hard to free her son, including often dressing as a man to go out at night to investigate the case. Niko’s cousin, Doniel Quinn, was one of two murder victims in the case. Niko testified against Lamonte and later reached out to Rosie to explain that she had been wrong. She and Rosie became friends and fought together to free Lamonte. Their story of reconciliation embodies the spirit of Healing Justice.

Rosie + Niko

Rosie Mcintyre (right) and Niko Quinn (left), Exoneree Family Member and Victim Family Member, Kansas

Chris was wrongly convicted of murder and rape and sentenced to life in prison when he was 22-years old. His conviction and sentence were due in part to a false confession he was persuaded to give in order to avoid the death penalty. Chris spent 13 years in prison before being exonerated and freed by DNA evidence. The same DNA evidence identified the true perpetrator, who had gone on to commit additional violent crimes before being apprehended and imprisoned.

Chris Ochoa

Exoneree, Texas

Lorinda was convicted of child abuse based on a false claim. She spent 7 years wrongly imprisoned, then it took another 7 years for her to be fully exonerated. Norma is Lorinda’s sister and remains one of her biggest supporters. Norma describes how she and her family could not be free either while Lorinda was in prison.

Lorinda + Norma

Lorinda Swain (right) and Norma Johnson (left), Exoneree and Exoneree Family Member, Michigan

Thomas was convicted of sexual assault, sentenced to 60 years in prison, and exonerated after spending 14 years wrongly imprisoned. Since being freed Thomas has befriended the crime survivor in his case as well as reunited with his family after being separated from them for many years. The DNA evidence that proved Thomas’s innocence also identified the actual perpetrator. However, the perpetrator remains free to this day due to a law that prevents him from being held accountable.

Thomas Webb

Exoneree, Oklahoma

Kim and Krissy are the daughters of Gregory Wilhoit, who was wrongly convicted of murdering his wife, their mother. Greg was sentenced to death and spent 6 years on death row before being exonerated. He passed away in 2014, not long after being freed. Kim and Krissy are two of many who have survived the double tragedy of a murder and wrongful conviction in the same family.

Krissy + Kim

Krissy Griggs Zarn (left) and Kim Griggs (right), Victim and Exoneree Family Members, Oklahoma

Garnetta is the sister of Marvin Anderson, who was convicted of sexual assault, robbery, and kidnapping and sentenced to life in prison. Marvin was exonerated after serving 15 years in prison and 4 more years on parole. He went on to fulfill his dream of being a firefighter and is now chief of the Hanover County Fire Department. Garnetta describes how, as a young teenager, she had to grow up quickly in order to take care of the household and family while her mother focused on freeing her innocent brother.

Garnetta Anderson Bishop

Exoneree Family Member, Virginia

Lamar was 20 years old when he was arrested and convicted of first-degree murder. He was finally freed 13 years later in 2017, after both the murder victim’s mother and the prosecutor in the case advocated for his exoneration. Kathy, Lamar’s mother, knew her son was innocent and never gave up hope that one day he would come home. She worked tirelessly, together with the murder victim’s mother, to free Lamar. Despite maintaining hope for the 13 years Lamar was in prison, Kathy talks openly about the pain and loss she suffered having a child incarcerated for a crime he did not commit.

Lamar + Kathy Johnson

Exoneree and Exoneree Family Member, Maryland

Sylvia is the mother of Steven Barnes, who was convicted of rape and murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Steve was finally exonerated after serving 20 years. During those 20 years, Sylvia put her life on hold and worked tirelessly to free her son. While attending her first Healing Justice Retreat, Sylvia was able to let go of a lot of the pain and trauma and made the decision to move forward in her life, including finally getting married to her long-time boyfriend, John. At her second retreat, Sylvia created this beautiful and moving art project that reflected her life before and after participating in a retreat.

Sylvia Barnes

Exoneree Family Member, New York

Malcolm was charged and convicted of a brutal rape that occurred in 1979 and was sentenced to life in prison without parole in Angola State Penitentiary. It took 39 years for Malcolm to be exonerated and return home to his grown children. Six months after he was freed, he was reunited with his dog, Innocence, whom he had raised as a puppy while incarcerated. In his mask, Malcolm illustrates the strong “face” he wore on the outside to mask the feelings of hopelessness and grief he felt inside.

Malcolm Alexander

Exoneree, Louisiana

Resources

Peer-to-Peer Resource Guide

This unique and comprehensive resource provides guidance and support to exonerated individuals following freedom from prison. In this resource, other exonerees reflect on their own experiences and challenges and offer recommendations. Also included are links to national and local resources.

View Resource Guide

Exoneration Resources

Our resource library is a place to find essential tools, information, and guidance to support you. These resources were informed by others with lived experience and developed to address the common challenges that individuals face following a wrongful conviction and exoneration.

Link to Resource Library

Healing Justice is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization – 47-3424404

11312 US 15-501 N, Suite 107 – #181, Chapel Hill, NC 27517

You can also reach us at: connect@healingjusticeproject.org.

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