We showed the video below at the 14th Annual Urban Ministries Prayer Breakfast last week. Our keynote speaker, Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins challenged the audience of about 1,000 with a message about prison reform and community justice and safety.
It was quite a morning to say the least.
Thanks to new DNA technology and to his own obvious courage and integrity, Mr. Watkins has been responsible for the exoneration of almost 30 wrongly convicted Dallas County residents.
Over the past year or so, Central Dallas Ministries, thanks largely to the leadership and commitment of Gerald Britt, has been privileged to work closely with the Innocence Project of Texas, the non-profit advocacy group representing falsely accused and convicted inmates, and with the men who have been released from prison after decades in prison.
The group of exonerees meets in one of our buildings on a monthly basis for group support and work. We've been fortunate to be able to stand with these men as they work hard to rebuild their lives.
The video that follows is the testimony of just one of our friends who has been through and unthinkable ordeal.
One of our core values at CDM is "justice." Working with these men is a pure play in this regard.
It is staggering that we have wrongly convicted so many. Really frightening. We all know there are flaws in our criminal justice system - there would have to be, it's run by human beings. But to have so many people unambiguously cleared after decades in prison is a stark reminder of how wrong our system can be. Scary. Glad they're out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this story Larry. I've reposted it here since it fits what wrote about this morning:
ReplyDeletehttp://jimmymccarty.wordpress.com/2009/04/27/reflections-on-two-years-with-the-homeless/