This Is Actually Happening 355: A World Beyond Revenge: What if you identified the wrong man?
After a brutal assault in the 1980s, a young woman identifies the wrong man as her attacker, but once DNA evidence proves his innocence, they form an unlikely bond, determined to right their paths of justice.
This episode is the fifth and final in our five part series, “A World Beyond Revenge” featuring five powerful stories of people on both sides of tragic incidents of unimaginable harm who found healing through the groundbreaking process of Restorative Justice.
Today’s episode featured Jennifer Thompson. You can email Jennifer at info@healingjusticeproject.org. Healing Justice works to prevent and alleviate the harms caused to all by wrongful convictions through advocacy, education, and direct support.
Instagram: @healing_justice
Facebook: @HealingJustice
Bluesky: @jet4love.bsky.social [Jennifer Thompson]
LinkedIn: company/Healing-Justice-Project
You can find Jennifer’s book, ""Picking Cotton:Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption” by Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton with Erin Torneo on Amazon or wherever you buy your books.
Jennifer’s Full BIO
Inspirational Crime Survivor, Founder of Healing Justice, and New York Times Best-Selling Author of Picking Cotton. Jennifer Thompson is a crime survivor who, in 1984, survived a brutal attack in her home while attending college in North Carolina. The man who was convicted and imprisoned for the crime at the time was proven innocent a decade later, revealing that the actual attacker had gone free. Thompson emerged as a pioneer of restorative justice, and a symbol of courage and resilience, when, in the wake of these devastating events, she befriended the man who had
been wrongly convicted. She then went on to co-author with him the New York Times
best-seller, Picking Cotton, which recounts their joint story of failed justice.
Thompson has since become a beacon of strength and recovery by speaking out to the world about her traumatic and painful experiences. She has also become a leading advocate for other crime survivors and victims, and her lived experience has inspired countless policy makers, law enforcement, and justice leaders worldwide to effect key reforms to improve the accuracy and fairness of our justice system.
In 2015, Thompson founded the national nonprofit organization, Healing Justice, which serves crime survivors, victims, and others through restorative justice and justice reform. Thompson is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Special Courage Award from the US Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime. She has testified on behalf of crime survivors and victims on criminal justice reforms before the United States Congress and state legislatures. She has appeared as a guest on numerous television and radio programs, including Good Morning America, the Today Show, Oprah, Dr. Phil, Rikki Lake, The View, 60 Minutes, 20/20, NBC News, Nightline, CNN Anderson Cooper, NPR, Diane Rehm, and PBS Frontline. Thompson’s courageous and inspiring story has also been featured in many print outlets, such as People, RedBook, Newsweek, and The New York Times.
Engaged through Keppler Speakers since 2010, Thompson has presented to hundreds of audiences around the world on issues of fairness, equity, empathy, trauma, recovery, healing, altruism, and leadership. An unwavering example of turning tremendous harm into abundant healing, Thompson inspires audiences to not just persevere but to flourish in the wake of unexpected - and even unimaginable - adversity. With endless bravery, grace, and humor, Thompson captivates all audiences with her profoundly important and timely message of optimism, generosity, and hope.
Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Aviva Lipkowitz
Content/Trigger Warnings: disordered eating, familial conflict, poverty, sexual assault including rape by a stranger, breaking & entering, victim shaming, wrongful conviction and incarceration, explicit language
Thank you to our series collaborators, Why Me? & Yoana Tchoukleva:
Why Me? are a national charity in the UK, promoting access to Restorative Justice for people affected by crime or conflict. They also support people who have been through the Restorative Justice process to share their stories. If you want to find out more about Restorative Justice, visit their website www.why-me.org. If you want help accessing Restorative Justice in the UK, you can contact them via info@why-me.org.
LinkedIn: Why me? UK
Instagram: @whymeuk
Facebook: @WhymeUK
Threads: @whymeuk
Bluesky: @whymeuk.bsky.social
Yoana Tchoukleva is an attorney, RJ practitioner, & lecturer at Berkeley Law. She is also a Senior Program Manager at Impact Justice. You can email her at ioanaq@gmail.com. You can reach out to her on Instagram @yoana.tch and on Facebook @""Yoana Tchoukleva"", and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ioanatchoukleva/. Please consider donating to Atunse Justice League.
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Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com
Website for Aviva Lipkowitz: avivalipkowitz.com
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Intro Music: ""Illabye"" – Tipper
Music Bed: Ambient Themes
Services
If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:
National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988
National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264
National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
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