Black People Account For 61% of 2023 Exonerees

In the latest edition of “Is this good news or bad news,” out of 153 exonerations in 2023, roughly 61% of exonerees were Black, according to a new report published by The National Registry of Exonerations released on March 18.The good news: Blacks lead in receiving exonerations.The bad news: Blacks innocent of the crimes for which they have been convicted are still being incarcerated at insanely high rates.Illinois had the most exonerations (24), followed by Texas (22), and New York (21).In 2023, individuals who were cleared of wrongdoing collectively “lost” 2,230 years of their lives because those years of freedom had been unjustly taken away. On average, each exoneree endured 14.6 years of wrongful imprisonment, according to the new study.And though the exonerees can’t go back in time and reclaim what was lost, they are excited to move forward living life outside of prison walls.In May, 1994, Dallas resident Richard Miles found himself heading to prison for murder at 19 years old, sentenced to 60 years. He was released in 2009, but wasn’t officially declared innocent until three years later. For Miles, though thankful for his eventual freedom, he still feels the pain of those years lost, and more.“I oftentimes...