What kinds of services or organizations are available to exonerated prisoners after they are released?
Many exonerees lose their homes, savings, vehicles, spouse, and custody of their children. They are released without money for living expenses, housing, medical care, health insurance, employable skills, vocational training, or jobs. No services have specifically addressed the needs of exonerees despite their profound losses and complex needs. Ironically, an exonerated person often gets less help — from either state or private institutions — than a guilty inmate, who will likely receive at least some assistance with job training, psychological counseling, and other social services to help him reintegrate. Exonerees often do not have access to these programs. The Life After Exoneration Project (LAEP), initiated in 2002 by DNA Identification Technology and Human Rights Center (DNA&HRC) in Berkeley, Calif., and The Innocence Project, is the first organized effort to provide comprehensive help to exonerees nationwide. The pilot project will link exonerees with a case manager with experti
