LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

orangeisthenewawesome I knew from reading and research that the criminal justice system was deeply flawed on many levels. This movie beautifully and powerfully illustrates all that is wrong with our system. Men are incorrectly identified by witnesses; even after being excluded as the perpetrator by DNA wrongfully convicted individuals sit in jail as part of a show of force by the DA. Once released, some still have criminal records and find it difficult to get jobs. Some have difficulty acclimating to life outside of a cage. They have no skills. They have no money. They are broken. They are angry, and you will be too after watching this. Wilton Dedge's broken spirit will stick with you. Fortunately, he received 2 million dollars for 22 years in prison.

EXodus25X After Innocence is an eye opening look into the imperfections of the United States justice system. Without going any further I would like to remind everyone of how superior that same system is in compared to other countries in the world. I realize that means nothing to the men in this film that have been unjustly convicted of horrible crimes. It is very emotional to listen to these men tell there story and to see how their time in prison has changed them. The fact that the prosecuting lawyers or the state or someone is not responsible for some kind of reimbursement for these men after they are released is absolutely ridicules. As one man said, they had taken away the key years of his life, the years he either gains a college education or establishes a career. I do think it is extremely honorable of the prosecuting attorneys, judges and in some case prison wardens who have given heartfelt apologies to these men and I admire those men for that because I feel it can give them hope in society and it's people again. But an apology can't feed you or get you out of living under your parents roof at the age of 40. With all that said I do feel that some of theses men have turned this horrible experience into a crutch, a crutch that they lean on and use as a consistent excuse for not being able to get their life back in line even years after. People have and will always go through tribulations in there life and men are defined by what they do after that not by how much they live in the past. I understand that a lot of people may be mad at me for saying such a thing but I'm just expressing my opinion and if you didn't like that you won't like this. In a couple of these cases I honestly don't know if I buy into the innocence, as my friend pointed out, that is the point of this film, that people judge based on how the person looks or acts and not on the facts of there case. I agree with that completely and I try as hard as I can to be fair and objective, but I do feel that of all the men who have been acquitted of crimes the odds say that at least a few of them are guilty. Then with all the media attention and people in your face constantly talking about your innocence I believe that a guilty man would start to really believe his innocence. I'm not going to go into who I think and why because I don't think documentaries always represents men completely fair and I don't have all the facts, just opinions. Overall though I believe most the men are completely innocent of their crimes and I totally buy into the theory that victims can't always be accurate in their descriptions of their assailants and can be traumatized by the situation or just down right lie. So with all that a very interesting documentary that will hopefully open the eyes of people in a position to change the problems of our justice system.

fwomp A telling documentary about the failings of criminal investigative law in the U.S., AFTER INNOCENCE is a poignant, if somewhat stilted, telling of the lives of men who've been wrongfully imprisoned for years and years (sometimes decades and decades) only to be released after advances in DNA evidence free them.The documentary follows only men through this process, most of them having been identified during their trial by a person who is wrong about them. Not really a surprise, as eyewitness identification is now being proved to be one of the least accurate ways in which to prosecute someone.The film begins and ends with its focus on Wilton Dedge in Brevard County, Florida. Sentenced to life in prison for sexual battery and burglary, Dedge has steadfastly commented on his innocence since his imprisonment some 22 years earlier. Never having given up, Dedge has the physical evidence collected from his crime sent to a forensic lab for DNA study. By the end of the film, we learn that none of it matches Dedge and he is sure to be released. But the prosecutors from the District Attorney's office are reluctant to let him go. Why? That's the biggest stickler in the entire film. Even when faced with overwhelming evidence of innocence, our supposed community service men and women are unwilling to admit their errors. That's very frustrating and shown quite well.The problem with the documentary, though, is that it never really shows the "other side." In other words, the D.A.'s perspective. Perhaps the D.A.'s didn't want to be filmed. But we're never told either way. Only once do we ever see a prosecutor discussing DNA cases, and that is very short indeed. Thus, this gives the After Innocence a very lopsided/one-sided viewpoint. If the D.A.'s didn't want to be filmed, I would've liked to have seen the film-makers attempting to get in to see them only to be rebuked and booted out. Again, we don't know if this happened or if the film-makers ever tried to get the other side.The other notable portion to the film is that prison affects these men very differently. Vincent Moto seems to have lost his willingness to better himself, while Herman Atkins now has a Ph.D in psychology. Dennis Maher and Nick Yarris seem to have mental health problems thanks to their long and wrongful imprisonment, each appearing either lackluster about life or having an inflated ego about their own importance rather than the importance of the situation itself.Regardless, After Innocence is informative in its own, one-sided way. Just make sure you check out both sides before deciding on its entire significance.

sleacc I just saw After Innocence at the Get Real Film Festival in Minneapolis. I too was aware of the Innocence Project - but now I am So Much more informed in regard to this important issue. I hope this film is seen widely as there are important issues needing attention...the after innocence issues. For instance, it's important that an innocent person who is exonerated receive compensation for their time. As it is they receive nothing upon release. How much is 5-10-20 years of a life worth? How does a family recoup money spent to fight for the truth? How does one rejoin society after years of imprisonment? An exonerated person also needs to have their record expunged. Altho they have their exoneration certificate, their record of jail time is still there. An exonerated person may receive no assistance with employment, no assistance with reintroduction into society upon release. I believe this is unlike the guilty, who after serving their time, receive medical coverage, monetary benefits and assistance with employment.It was so nice and so moving to meet Wilton Dedge in person after the film. For me to fully appreciate the impact of serving 20 plus years for a crime not committed is impossible. But as Wilton commented after the film, it is very important to be aware of this issue and involved -- as this could happen to anyone.