After Innocence
For an innocent man exonerated by newly found DNA evidence, release from prison is only the beginning. Shattered lives aren't so quickly pieced back together with a wave of a judge's gavel.After Innocence, a moving and unforgettable documentary, follows the lives of several "exonerees" freed after years--sometimes decades--of wrongful imprisonment for rape or sexual assault. Some of the men have used the opportunity to truly start over--get degrees, forge a new career, rebuild family ties. Others remain broken and bewildered by a judicial system that let them down. And, as one of the exonerees notes, there's nothing in place to assist people wrongly convicted, while there are a host of benefits available to convicts who are out on parole. There are many touching moments in the film, especially showing how the exonerees have banded together in a loose support group; while nothing will ever be the same for any of these men, their recognition for what each other has been though is sometimes enough for them to feel that they can face another day.--A.T. Hurley