Podcast: A Tale of Exoneration

A remarkable account from one falsely accused & jailed who kept up his hope and humanity…

A few weeks ago, while driving to the Thursday morning Intermediate Yoga class, I caught this short NPR interview (7 min 09 sec). It was already in process so I just heard the back-half or so. But I was completely taken by the way the man expressed himself.

Then just today, I found the podcast on-line and listened a few more times and read a little more about the storyteller, Christopher Scott. Mr. Scott did 13 years of a life sentence for a murder he did not commit. And this is his tale of how he survived in prison and maintained his sense of humanity despite the long odds.

As you listen, you will hear terms like soap operas, hamburgers, and candy canes etc. I am not a big fan of any of these things, yet I found Mr. Scott’s portrayal absolutely compelling. His narration comes across without a trace of anger or vindictiveness. Rather it is full of joy and hope, despite the fact that he was wronged in the worst way possible – robbed of his freedom. His lucid and rich descriptions, and sympathetic characterizations of others, tell of the story of a man determined to remain human in the face of a system that rushed to judgment and wrongly pegged him as a soulless convict.

– Here is the podcast –

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More Info

If you search Christopher Scott on the web, you will find that he has been featured in so many top newspapers, magazines, and journals. Certainly his case is unusual, but there are literally hundreds and thousands of cases of wrongful imprisonment. I think what makes his story so unique is the way he portrays his circumstance and how he seamlessly and successfully reentered society, without forgetting the countless others who have suffered a similar plight. He opened a men’s clothing store and founded a detective agency with his fellow exonerees to help others who have been wrongfully imprisoned.

While my main intention was to share the above NPR podcast with you, here is a short video as well – though I hope you do not skip over the podcast and only watch the video.