On December 6, 2011, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli announced the full exoneration of Thomas Haynesworth, a man that had been wrongly convicted of sexual assault in 1984. He spent 27 years behind bars for crimes he did not commit. With the help of the Innocence Project, two commonwealth's attorneys, and Attorney General Cuccinelli, Haynesworth is now a free man.

Thomas Haynesworth meets accuser for first time

Thomas E. Haynesworth talks about meeting Janet Burke, the woman who mistakenly identified him as her rapist, sending him to prison for 27 years. He was released several years ago when DNA testing identified another man as the one who committed the crime.

Mike McAlister walked out of prison on May 13, 2015 after serving more than 29 years for a crime he did not commit. McAlister received an absolute pardon from Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, fully exonerating him.

“My release from jail was one of the greatest days of my life. My mom and sister picked me up from the prison facilities and took me home. It fulfilled a dream I never thought would actually come true.” – Michael McAlister

Sabein Burgess was convicted of murdering his girlfriend in 1995 based solely on gunshot residue testimony. Almost 20 years later (2014), MAIP and co-counsel Steptoe and Johnson determined that based on new research, the gunshot residue testimony was not scientifically sound.

I am being counted as a person again.

In the past 21 years, more than 250 convicted felons have been exonerated by DNA evidence. Diane and her panel talk about the causes of wrongful convictions and ongoing efforts to free the innocent.

A Virginia appeals court declared Thomas Haynesworth an innocent man Tuesday, clearing his name and acknowledging that he spent 27 years behind bars for a series of rapes he did not commit.

There are a lot of people behind the scenes who believed in me. Twenty-seven years, I never gave up.