When State Senator Gloria Romero recites the Pledge of
Allegiance, she stops after “with liberty and justice.”
She does not say the last two words: “for all.”
In her speech at “The Faces of Wrongful Conviction”
conference on Saturday, Romero said that many Californians are
lucky enough to enjoy the liberties guaranteed to them by law, but
the individuals who fall victim to a far-from-perfect criminal
justice system are not.
The conference, held this past weekend at UCLA, revolved around
more than a dozen individuals who had been convicted of crimes they
did not commit.
One by one, the exonerated individuals walked on stage,
introduced themselves, and told the audience how many years the
state of California had “stolen” from them.
In front of a large projection screen, they solemnly stood side
by side, facing the audience as if they were part of a large
criminal lineup. Behind them, 187 pairs of handcuffs hung on two
large black panels. Each of the 17 exonerated people present hung
up 11 pairs of handcuffs, representing themselves and 10 other
wrongfully convicted individuals.
Larry Marshall, a law professor at Stanford Law School and
cofounder of the Center on Wrongful Convictions, called for one
second of silence for each year of incarceration served by the
exonerated individuals. In total, the silence lasted more than five
minutes.
Throughout the day, experts, scientists, lawyers, activists and
exonerated individuals discussed the most pressing issues
surrounding wrongful conviction, the death penalty and alleged
problems with the state’s criminal justice system in
general.
In one room, an exonerated person shared his or her story every
20 minutes.
Harold Hall was wrongfully convicted in 1990 of a double
homicide and rape and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
In 2004, he was released after postconviction DNA tests confirmed
his innocence.
During his 19 years in prison, Hall did not let his family come
see him because he did not want to feel the homesickness.
“I knew I had to prove I was innocent. I knew I had to
hurry up and get home,” he said.
For those 19 years, Hall spent his time reading everything he
could, including magazines, newspapers and law books pertaining to
advances in DNA identification technology and its uses in cases
similar to his.
“(Correctional officers) thought I was crazy,” Hall
said. “I would just get on my typewriter and type. I
wouldn’t leave my cell except for breakfast, dinner and
work.”
But the work paid off. In 2004, in addition to earning his GED,
Hall got his sentence reversed and won his freedom.
He said he will never forget the time that was stolen from him,
but feels he has made a smooth transition into life outside of
prison. Hall felt he was prepared because he had wanted nothing
else.
“I knew I was going to get out, I just didn’t know
when,” he said.
Gloria Killian, who served almost 18 years after being convicted
of murder, was the only exonerated woman present. She spoke about
the criminal justice system’s treatment of girls and
women.
Killian described her experience in prison as “horrendous
and appalling,” but instead of harboring bitterness and
anger, she emphasized moving on.
She said her ordeal has motivated her to fight for the freedom
of others who are not as lucky as her.
“I feel bound and driven to help the people that I left
behind. I got out alive, but now I also have the opportunity to do
that for them,” she said. “I have to do that for
them.”
Killian has since founded the Action Committee For Women in
Prison. She now serves as executive director.
She said if she did not make an effort to help, “what
happened to me is meaningless. It means (the criminal justice
system) stole my life and smashed it to pieces.”