Documentary Summary

I had to pick a documentary out of a list given to me and write a summary on it.  I chose to watch After Innocence by Jessica Sanders.  This documentary is about the lives of several men who have been in prison for several years for a crime they did not commit.  They were proven innocent by DNA testing which was not something that was normally done.  Every mans situation was different but they all had somethings in common.  They all were wrongly convicted and when they were being interviewed, they seemed distant and did not show much emotions.  Out of all the men, two stuck out to me the most, Vincent and Wilton.  Vincent's story touched me because he talked about his daughter and how he could not be in her life while she was young because of something he did not do.  I had a family experience where I did not see my dad for a year and it was very difficult so I could not even imagine not growing up without him and how hard that must have been for both of them.  Another part was that he does not have enough money to get his record expunged for the crime so that is stuck on his record.  He will have a hard time getting a job from this and how is he supposed to get money to get it off if he cannot get a job in the first place.  Wilton's story also touched me because he was found not guilty but had to stay in prison for 3 years after this discovery.  It's crazy to think of all the people who are in prison because of something they did not do and are not able to get released.  When they are released then, they do not get any help they are just given money for the bus and are on their own.  Some of the men have been in there for a long time and they have been in prison for the prime years of their lives and have to learn many new skills.  After watching this, I got a new perspective and appreciate everything that I have because other people are not as lucky and cannot do some of the things that I can.