Leroy Harris says that he did not commit the robbery and sexual assault for which he served 29 years behind bars. The Black Connecticut resident was ultimately released from prison last year after entering an Alford plea—an agreement that let him go in exchange for a guilty plea on the robbery, per The New York Times. His story grounds the first episode of "Innocence Ignored," a docuseries from Vice that premiered online yesterday (October 29).
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We met Leroy Harris, who took an Alford plea after serving 29 years in prison for a crime he has always maintained he didn’t commit.
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rnttWatch the first episode of ‘@Innocence Ignored’ here: https://t.co/8IV35jkSc9rnt— VICE (@VICE) October 30, 2018
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"Innocence Ignored" shares stories of people like Harris to explore the legal and social impact of wrongful incarceration. The first episode highlights the challenges of Alford pleas, which don’t wipe wrongful convictions from the record and protect prosecutors from admitting wrongdoing. Watch Harris discuss how state prosecutors held back evidence that could have exonerated him and how the plea limits his professional and social life.
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