resurrection after exoneration: fall 2019
Advisors: Nick Jenisch and Rashidah Williams
Project Location: New Orleans, LA
Prosecutorial misconduct is systemic in New Orleans. The voices of the exonerated men and women who have been mistreated by the system are crucial in building knowledge about the reform needed within the judicial system.
Resurrection After Exoneration (RAE) serves exonerees by helping with reentry after the traumatic experience of wrongful incarceration. These services include medical, financial, legal, and educational help to break the cycle of dependence and poverty. RAE also provides education and outreach regarding how people become wrongfully convicted.
Building upon the legacy of founder John Thompson, RAE now seeks a renewal of its building and programming in order to continue important work providing services and education to exonerees and their families.
The project team worked collaboratively to envision RAE’s reopening, clarify its purpose and possible programming, cultivate a support network of allies and possible funders, and consider design possibilities that would both build upon the legacy of RAE and expand the range of services provided and events held in the building.
Through a series of meetings over 10 weeks, the team settled on design and renovation priorities that would best serve RAE and its constituents. Planned improvements make efficient use of funding by focusing on improvements that will make the building’s operation sustainable and welcoming to an even bigger audience of exonerees, allied organizations, and others.
