Wrongfully convicted man becomes a lawyer to fight injustice

Jarrett Adams was wrongfully convicted of sexual assault at age 17 and sentenced to 28 years in a maximum security prison. After serving nearly 10 years and filing multiple appeals, Jarrett was exonerated with the assistance of the Wisconsin Innocence Project.

Jarrett used the injustice he endured as inspiration to become an advocate for the underserved

As a first step, Jarrett Adams earned his Juris Doctorate from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in May 2015 and started a public interest law fellowship with Ann Claire Williams, judge for the Seventh Circuit US Court of Appeals.

‘Success requires you to struggle, strive, strain and survive’ – Jarrett Adams

On his website it says, ‘Jarrett Adams is an attorney with the Innocence Project, Co-Founder of Life After Justice, re-entry specialist and advocate for criminal justice reform. Before Jarrett founded Life After Justice, he found himself in a fight for his life and justice, after being sentenced to serve 28 years in a maximum security prison at 17 years old.’

It continues, ‘Going from inmate to exonerate to law student to law fellow, Jarrett has a unique perspective to share. A thought-leader in those areas, Jarrett continuously contributes to the ongoing discussion around prison reform and wrongful convictions.’

‘His story of incarceration, exoneration and redemption has been featured widely in the media, and he has become a sought-after motivational speaker for athletes, students, inmates, attorneys and others.’

He certainly is a remarkable individual, and what he is doing for others in the same situation is a worthwhile endeavour. 

source: jarrettadams.com

Life After Justice: Providing a path for exonerees and parolees to successfully re-enter society

Because of gaps in the system, exonerees aren’t afforded the same re-entry services that parolees receive and this is especially true for housing. Despite being innocent, these men are typically given nothing more than an outfit of clothes and a bus pass when they’re released back onto the streets. Some of them end up on their mom’s couch, others in a homeless shelter. That’s where the Life After Justice Center wants to step in. The home will not only provide these men with a place to live, but it will also include a variety of services the men need to successfully re-enter society, like: job training, computer skills, finance classes, mentoring, etc.

The Center’s Mission Statement is: ”To assist exonerees successfully reenter society. To provide clean, stable housing that acts as a transitional platform through a structured, mentored living environment. To facilitate job training, employment, counseling and other services through the use of outside providers. To connect with the local community and to be a positive contribution to improving the community’s image.”

The Innocence Project

The Innocence Project‘s mission is to free the staggering number of innocent people who remain incarcerated, and to bring reform to the system responsible for their unjust imprisonment.

As the pace of DNA exonerations has grown across the country in recent years, wrongful convictions have revealed disturbing fissures and trends in the US criminal justice system.

Source: innocenceproject.org