Photo: Suzanne Sausville
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio)— Dozens of people led by a group of drummers marched by the State House Saturday with signs calling for justice on the eighth annual international wrongful conviction day.
The rally and march, held by the New England Innocence Project, commemorated the day meant to raise awareness for those who spent time in prison for crimes they did not commit and share their stories.
Darrell Jones, an attendee of the rally, spent 32 years in prison for a crime he did not commit before he was exonerated. He spoke to WBZ's Suzanne Sausville (@wbzSausville) about how he spent his time incarcerated in the law library helping to prove his innocence.
"I felt the injustice that's obvious but I also felt like it's going to be incumbent on me to get me home," Jones said. "It gathers up on you versus the world and you got to win. The objective was coming home and proving our innocence and then bringing somebody else home."
The New England Innocence Project works with those who believe they are wrongfully convicted to help prove their innocence. They provide free forensic testing, investigations, experts, and legal assistance for those incarcerated who seek to be exonerated.
"I can't imagine a more important thing than fighting for freedom with people who have survived and are still fighting," Radha Natarajan, the executive director of the NEIP said.
The group supports a bill in the Massachusetts State Legislature that seeks reduce mass incarceration by ending life without parole sentences. The bill is set to appear before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary on Oct. 5.
WBZ's Suzanne Sausville (@wbzSausville) has more.
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