For the longest time, criminals have fascinated and terrified writers. From The Deprived by Steffen Hou to Death Row, Texas by Michelle Lyons, it’s true that criminals who have been abandoned by society are interesting subjects to write about. Some are guilty beyond all measure, but still proclaim their innocence until death, while others simply accept the sentence they’re given. However, there are some who were innocent, some who couldn’t fathom the crimes they’ve been accused of. These people call into question our faith in the American justice system and force us to look into our perceptions of right and wrong. Below are just a few of these innocents.

Anthony Graves

Anthony Graves was an African American man who was wrongfully convicted of murdering six people. After serving approximately 18 years in prison, most of which on death row, in 2010 he was exonerated. The prosecutor was stripped of his law license for grievous misconduct. Graves now works in Texas as a Smart Justice Initiatives Manager. In an article he wrote for the ACLU, he describes his first night on death row as humiliating, a callback to times of slavery. 

Anthony Capozzi 

Anthony Capozzi was convicted of two sexual assaults in Buffalo, New York. After twenty years of fighting his sentence, DNA evidence was taken, and identified the actual culprit who did commit the assaults. What’s more, the man went on to get away with multiple murders and rapes. After Anthony was released, a new law was passed titled “Anthony’s Law”, which helped victims who were wrongfully convicted to receive compensation for their misery.

Lamar Johnson 

Lamar Johnson was a young man who was accused by police of murdering Carlos Sawyer. Though there was no DNA  evidence or motive, Johnson was still found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, all because witnesses said he looked like the gunman. Lamar filed for appeals, two of which were turned down before the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project decided to reinvestigate the case. Finally, on September 19th, 2017, Johnson walked free for the first time in 13 years. He became the first man in Maryland to escape from death row. 

Brian Banks 

Brian Banks was an upcoming NFL player who was wrongfully convicted of raping a classmate. He spent six years in prison. However, his accuser had admitted that she made up the accusation, just so that she could hide the fact she was sexually active. After being exonerated in 2012, he resumed his football career. He has since been hired by the NFL in the Department of Operations. His accuser, on the other hand, was sued by the Long Beach Unified School District for $2 million. They won $2.6 million.

There are many innocents in prison, whether that be because of faulty or nonexistent evidence, police misconduct, or societal prejudices. Either way, because of the increasing number of exonerations, many have now started to look at their own cases. These innocents, whether they wanted to or not, have left a legacy behind, one that inspires many to look at the evidence at hand, and not rely on biases of the past.