Wrongfully Imprisoned

An excerpt from Unilad - 

Man Who Was Wrongfully Imprisoned For 8 Years Overturned His Own Conviction And Became A Lawyer

BY: EMILY BROWN  

A man who was wrongly imprisoned for sexual assault aged 17 managed
to overturn his conviction and now works as a defense lawyer to free
other people who have been wrongly convicted. 

He explained:

Everyone has a constitutional right to an effective attorney. And so therefore, my constitutional right was violated by not having an effective attorney.

Using newspapers he had access to in prison, Adams identified attorneys litigating cases that could support his argument and managed to work with one to begin drafting a habeas petition. In 2004, Adams’ case was taken on by the Innocence Project, who told him they didn’t understand ‘how on Earth you are in here with 28 years’.

Eight years after his arrest, the Innocence Project argued Adams’ case to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. The court unanimously overturned Adams’ conviction on the grounds of ineffective assistance of counsel, and in February 2007 he had all charges against him dismissed.

Following his release, Adams enrolled in college and received his associate’s degree, followed by a bachelor’s in criminal law. In May 2015 he graduated from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and went on to be hired by the Innocence Project.

He now works for his own private practice and uses his power as a lawyer to prevent people facing the same fate he did.

https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/man-who-was-wrongfully-imprisoned-for-8-years-overturned-his-own-conviction-and-became-a-lawyer/