Formerly Incarcerated, but Not Imprisoned

2007 Fellow John Thompson served eighteen years in the Louisiana prison system, fourteen of them on death row for a crime he did not commit. After his exoneration six years ago, John endeavored to map out his life’s work and provide a voice for those wrongly accused within the prison system.  In the article, "Free after 14 years on death row..." by Times-Picayune writer, Lolis Eric Elie, John shares his inspiring story and the steps that led to launching Resurrection After Exoneration (RAE) in post-Katrina New Orleans.

With social change as the ultimate goal, John founded RAE to assist and re-imagine a new future for those individuals newly released from prison.  In John's words, "We have over 10,000 inmates being released from jail in Louisiana per year…out of that 10,000, 70 percent of them return (to prison) in one form or fashion within the first six months, or have some kind of interaction with the police again. Nobody is there to guide them. RAE wants to be there, to be that guidance."

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