Anthony Ray Hinton
It’s one thing to talk the talk, but it’s another to walk the walk. In the case of Anthony Ray Hinton, he has done just that.
Nearly 30 years ago, Hinton was wrongly sentenced to death row for two capital murders he did not commit due to inconclusive evidence and various people involved in the case who had a history of racial bias. While on death row, Hinton had to find a way to keep the faith. He organized a book club and it quickly grew in popularity among inmates as a good escape from their circumstances. However, in the end, Hinton ended up being the only member of the book club left on death row because all the other members endured capital punishment.
After previous attempts failed to overturn his sentencing, lead attorney Bryan Stevenson finally led the attempt that proved Hinton’s innocence. On April 3, 2015, Hinton walked out of jail as a free man and to this day is one the longest serving death row prisoners in Alabama.
Since being exonerated, Hinton works tirelessly to ensure what happened to him, doesn’t happen to others. He has spoken various times about the injustices of the Alabama judicial system, as well as other concerns related to imprisonment. He works closely with the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) in Alabama as a Community Educator, committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment, while also challenging racial and economic injustice.
Hinton and the EJI have provided legal assistance to members of death row. Many death row inmates are found innocent or wrongly convicted through documented widespread racial bias. Since 1973, 195 people have been exonerated and released from death row. Also, for every eight people executed, one person has been exonerated.
In addition to his work advocating for justice, he is also the author of The Sun Does Shine which has been described as a “story about truth, justice and the need for criminal justice reform.”