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BY JOY HOLDEN | The Advocate Sullivan Walter, 56, sat at a conference table in the small converted house that now functions as Innocence & Justice Louisiana, formerly known as Innocent Project New Orleans. He choked back tears when he recalled the moment he read a letter from Richard Davis,…

After more than 24 years as Innocence Project New Orleans, and after much careful deliberation with our staff, board, clients, and allies, we are excited to announce our new name: Innocence & Justice Louisiana. Our new name and new brand reflect the full scope of the work we have been doing: we work across the state of Louisiana freeing people who are innocent and those who are in prison unjustly, supporting them in freedom.

After 32 years behind bars, Keith Ezidore’s 1993 second-degree murder conviction was overturned in July 2025 by Louisiana’s 5th Circuit Court. Judges ruled prosecutors withheld key evidence about a witness’s juvenile record, a Brady violation that could have altered the case. Ezidore maintains he never committed the crime.

Thirteen men who spent more than six centuries wrongfully imprisoned gathered in Baton Rouge for Exonerated Voices. Moderated by law professor Angela Allen-Bell, they described coerced confessions, flawed prosecutions, and systemic failures that stole decades of freedom—while calling for accountability and reform in Louisiana’s justice system.

A bill to repeal Louisiana’s wrongful conviction compensation law has been shelved after backlash from advocacy groups. Rep. Nicholas Muscarello admitted HB 673 “went too far,” while Innocence Project New Orleans called it “cruel.” Advocates stress exonerees need these funds to rebuild lives stolen by wrongful convictions.

Wilbert Jones spent 46 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit before his 2017 exoneration. Now, the compensation helping him rebuild could be eliminated under a new bill backed by Attorney General Liz Murrill. Advocates warn repealing the law would leave exonerees without critical support to survive.

Innocence & Justice Louisiana warns that proposed bills HB 673 and HB 675 threaten exonerees’ rights by repealing compensation and restricting post-conviction relief. We urge citizens to contact your legislators and oppose these cruel laws that would leave innocent people without resources or avenues to prove their wrongful convictions.

Founded in 2001, Innocence Project New Orleans has freed or exonerated dozens of people wrongly convicted or serving excessive sentences. Under executive director Jee Park, the nonprofit expanded re-entry support and launched the Unjust Punishment Project, which has already freed 28 people serving harsh terms for nonviolent crimes.

Louisiana lawmakers are weighing a bill to abolish the state’s Innocence Compensation Fund, which helps exonerees rebuild after decades in prison. Backed by Attorney General Liz Murrill, the plan would shift costs to local parishes. Advocates warn it would leave many innocent people—like Reginald Adams and Jarvis Ballard—without vital support.

Louisiana lawmakers are considering repealing the state’s wrongful conviction compensation law, which since 2005 has provided up to $480,000 to exonerees. A new version of House Bill 101 would scrap the fund entirely, shifting cases to federal civil rights lawsuits—a move critics say leaves many wrongfully convicted people without recourse.