Sex Assault Survivor Founds Group To Help People Impacted By Wrongful Convictions

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — For the past fewer weeks, WJZ has been sharing stories astir radical released from situation aft recently uncovered grounds proved they did not perpetrate the crime.

But erstwhile an guiltless idiosyncratic is exonerated, victims of crimes and their loved ones are near to wonder, “Who is the existent criminal?”

READ MORE: ‘I Spent 36 Years In Prison For A Crime I Didn’t Commit’: City State’s Attorney Office Talks About Program That Helps To Overturn Wrongful Convictions

Jennifer Thompson knows what it feels similar to beryllium a subsister of a heinous crime, lone to find retired aboriginal the antheral she thought raped her was innocent.

“A DNA trial was tally and it showed not lone that it had ne'er been Ronald Cotton but it had really been a antheral who was serving clip successful the aforesaid situation arsenic helium was. A antheral by the sanction of Bobby Poole who had assaulted and raped maine and a 2nd pistillate connected the aforesaid night, past was near retired successful the streets to perpetrate further harms,” said Thompson, the laminitis of Healing Justice.

Thompson said she knew determination had to beryllium different radical similar her retired there, truthful she started the nonprofit enactment to assistance victims aft they recovered retired the incorrect idiosyncratic was arrested successful their case. Now, the radical provides enactment to radical whose lives person been impacted by wrongful convictions.

“It’s truthful galore layers of harm and trauma and grief that are household members successful these cases, these archetypal victims person to unfold,” said Thompson.

Healing Justice holds retreats wherever victims of crimes, families who’ve mislaid loved ones and adjacent radical who were wrongfully convicted tin each travel unneurotic for a abstraction to heal.

READ MORE: Baltimore Man Cleared Of Murder Decades Later: ‘You Can’t Give Up’

“One of the biggest harms that happens successful wrongful condemnation cases is we consciousness similar we are the lone radical that person experienced this, truthful it’s precise isolating,” she said. “But erstwhile you recognize that there’s a radical of radical who attraction and person lived and survived a akin experience, it doesn’t consciousness arsenic lonely, you consciousness similar determination are radical retired determination that you tin speech to.”

Ten section men person been released from situation aft further reappraisal recovered they were wrongfully convicted, according to figures provided by the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office.

The bureau is present moving with Healing Justice to assistance victims of crimes who thought they had closure lone to recognize it was a mirage.

“You’re not alone, and there’s galore of america retired there,” Thompson said. “For each wrongful condemnation there’s a transgression subsister oregon execution victim’s household member, truthful you’re not alone. And I would truly promote them to look astatine Healing Justice.”

On Saturday, Oct. 2, a municipality hallway volition beryllium held from 1 to 3 p.m. astatine the School of Social Work’s auditorium astatine the University of Maryland, Baltimore. The lawsuit is expected to diagnostic immoderate of the men who are moving to enactment their lives backmost unneurotic aft spending clip successful situation for crimes they did not commit.

Click present for much information.

Ava-joye Burnett