John Thompson spent 18 years in a Louisiana prison, 14 of them on death row, before he was exonerated in 2003 for a murder he did not commit. Since his release from prison, Thompson has become a tireless advocate for the rights of other exonerees and former inmates. Faced with the struggle of assimilating himself back into society as a released prisoner and the destruction of his home by Hurricane Katrina, Thompson decided to kick start an education and outreach program, “Resurrection After Exoneration (RAE),” to help exonerees and formerly incarcerated inmates rebuild their lives. According to Thompson, former inmates need resources more than money in order to effectively rehabilitate and transition into society. RAE provides numerous services to former inmates such as temporary housing, job training through computer training and résumé building, mental health counseling, and other life skills. “[Thompson]’s proven himself to be resilient, resourceful and compassionate in ways that are unimaginable given his situation,” said Michael Banks, one of Thompson’s appellate lawyers.
John Thompson received the Freedom Award at NCIP’s 2011 “Justice For All” awards gala for his steadfast work with exonerated defendants in order to create social leaders out of a world of recidivism, desperation, and poverty.
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