Wrongful Conviction Day
“One Decision Can Change the Rest of Your Life.”
My mom used to say this to me every time my friends and I left the house. I used to shrug it off with a “yes, mother,” but now, this statement rings in my ears every time a tragedy occurs from someone’s choices.
This Friday, October 2nd is International Wrongful Conviction Day; a day to raise awareness of the causes and remedies of wrongful conviction. It’s a day to recognize that one decision can not only change the rest of your life, but the lives of others.
The Innocence Network has paved the way to advocate for justice reforms, provide support to those wrongfully convicted, and bring awareness to the public through Wrongful Conviction Day. Their efforts have secured over 590 exonerations across the nation.
Research from the National Registry of Exonerations shows that Black people are disproportionately affected by wrongful conviction, and Black exonerees spent an average of 10.7 years wrongfully incarcerated before their release, about 45% longer than White exonerees. There are many factors for such wrongful conviction from eyewitness misidentification and false confessions to misapplication of forensic science and official misconduct. All of which are simply unacceptable and capable of preventing.
My heart breaks at this information as I personally have seen this played out. I’m reminded of the traumatic journey of walking with a loved one who was wrongfully convicted. Due to previous incarceration records and lack of substantial evidence, they pled guilty to crimes they were innocent of committing. Thankfully, they had access to a very expensive attorney who managed to help them get probation without incarceration.
The truth is, this loved one is White and has access to resources many Black people do not; and while this loved one faced the prejudice of having previous convictions they did not have the added struggle of wrongful judgement for their skin color. My heart aches for those walking through this trauma, especially those whose wrongful conviction results in incarceration.
May I say to all those walking this journey asking, “Why would someone make such terrible accusations?”, and to those experiencing feelings of complete terror, anxiety, and heartbreak: Jesus is weeping with you. Jesus is fighting for you. Jesus commands justice and freedom for you. You are seen and you are loved.
In fact, Jesus explains that as we commit acts of love for the prisoner, stranger, sick, and hungry we are loving Him. If we fail to seek justice for prisoners, if we fail to love in the midst of pain, we fail to love Christ (Mt. 25).
You see, these are not just far off statistics, these are real people with real families and real lives. The responsibility to correct these wrongs lay not just in the hands of our legal system, but in every citizen. We must educate ourselves, speak out, and stand up. We must be better for our fellow man.
Jesus commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mk. 12:31), and to have his Kingdom come and will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven (Mt. 6:10). This requires facing the discomfort of having conversations that challenge our worldview, choosing to be actively anti- racist, and wrestling with God about it all. Through this process we allow ourselves to be made in His image so that we may act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly (Mic. 6:8).
One decision has changed the lives of so many, and to our dismay not always for the better; Let us use this day and our future choices to prevent wrongful conviction and equip just decisions in this country. Let us decide to love God and our neighbor by educating ourselves, finding our voice, and holding one another accountable so that all lives would live freely, in Jesus name.
This is our duty, to choose to be present as a conduit of God’s love through active education, conversation, and advocacy.
You can start today by making others aware of the causes and remedies of wrongful conviction via social media, researching this topic for yourself, and/or learning how you can partner with The Innocence Network in order to advocate for justice reforms and support those wrongfully convicted in your area.
Remember, one decision can not only change the rest of your life, but the lives of others, so choose to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly.