Our judicial system is failing! So are we!

I have a new appreciation for my dear friend Maurice Carter today. 

For those of you who are not familiar with this story, Maurice spent 29 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit. In the mid-1990s I joined hands with him in an effort to seek his release, a project that lasted almost a decade. We never got an exoneration, but in 2004 Maurice’s sentenced was commuted for health reasons. He died at the age of 60, just three months after he stepped into freedom. 

One of the most admirable things about this kind, gentle man was that, after all he suffered under this terrible episode of misjustice, he was not bitter. His mind was good, his spirits were high, and despite immense suffering, he enjoyed his final three months. 

An award-winning filmmaker has documented that story in a 45-minute video entitled: Wronged---The Maurice Carter Story. Last night we were proud to show that video to an audience of some 50 persons at Cooley Law School in Lansing. I counted at least 4 wrongly convicted men in the audience, and that leads me to my subject for today. 

Following the showing of the film, I served on a panel to participate in a discussion with members of the audience. For those who don’t know it, Cooley is the home of a famous Innocence Project that takes credit for the release of some 375 innocent men and women over the years. Though the showing was sponsored by HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS, which serves prisoners in all of Michigan’s facilities handling all kinds of personal issues, the focus of the post-film discussion naturally led to wrongful convictions. 

After listening to these guys baring their souls to the audience, talking about the struggles not only while living in cages, but also attempting to lead normal lives upon release, my heart was broken (once again!). We’re failing! We’re not doing enough! 

Right now there are some 1,000 men and women in our state's correctional facilities who have been wrongly convicted. Last night, some of those guys related horrible in-prison experiences, knowing all the while that there was no reason for them to even be there! The stories didn’t stop there. We also heard about  numerous struggles upon release.

Upon release, these men and women are still not free. The prison record haunts them…many struggle getting jobs and/or housing. Many are in debt. Many, if not all, need and deserve counseling! 

Never think that it’s not your concern. I can tell you horror stories of doctors, lawyers, cops and businessmen and women who have been wrongly convicted. 

Lord Jesus, for our sake you were condemned as a criminal: Visit our jails and prisons with your pity and judgment. Remember all prisoners… and give them hope for their future. When any are held unjustly, bring them release; forgive us, and teach us to improve our justice.   ---The Book of Common Prayer

 

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