Wisconsin Innocence Project hosts Madison film premiere

The documentary film “After Innocence,” which tells the powerful and moving stories of those exonerated after being wrongly convicted of crimes, will be shown Thursday, Nov. 17 in a free screening hosted by the Wisconsin Innocence Project.

The Madison premiere of the award-winning film will be held at 7 p.m. at the Wisconsin Historical Society, located across from the Memorial Union on Library Mall.

The film interweaves the courageous stories of seven men, who were sent to prison – and even death row – for crimes they didn’t commit. Although DNA testing eventually exonerated each from their “crimes,” the emotional journeys of the men attempting to rebuild their lives shines a spotlight on flaws in the criminal justice system that led to wrongful convictions.

Following the film, recent Wisconsin exonerees will discuss their experiences with life after exoneration. State policymakers will join them to discuss what can and should be done to support and ease the transition for the exonerated.

“Exonerations are generally viewed as success stories, but ‘After Innocence’ reveals how the human toll of wrongful imprisonment can last far longer than the sentences served, while also examining the human rights issues surrounding society’s moral obligation to those exonerated,” says Keith Findley, co-director of the Wisconsin Innocence Project.

“After Innocence” is directed by Jessica Sanders, an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker (“Sing!”), and is produced and written by Sanders and Marc Simon.

The Wisconsin Innocence Project is a project in the Frank J. Remington Center at the UW Law School. It was founded in 1998 and is co-directed by law professors Findley and John Pray.

Under the supervision of attorneys, students investigate and litigate claims of innocence on behalf of prisoners in Wisconsin and elsewhere. The Wisconsin Innocence Project is responsible for the exoneration of several of the event’s panelists.