By Jed Horne, The Lens editor
A Talk with John Thompson
John Thompson knows the streets of New Orleans. He also knows the state’s prisons. He was one of several defendants railroaded to death row during Harry Connick’s 28-year tenure as Orleans Parish district attorney. Thompson ’s conviction was set aside after it was discovered that Connick’s assistants had unconstitutionally suppressed evidence favorable to the defense. Thompson initially was awarded $14 million for the wrongful conviction, only to have the money denied him by the U.S. Supreme Court. Today, Thompson is the founding director of Resurrection after Exoneration, which serves former prisoners trying to rebuild their lives. His office on St. Bernard Avenue includes a residence, computer training and a printing operation (posters, T-shirts and the like) that generates revenue for the group. Thompson plans a larger residential structure and is about to begin a national campaign that would, among other reforms, make prosecutors liable for their misconduct, just as incompetent defense attorneys and bad judges are. (DA’s are currently exempt.) With violence resurgent in post-Katrina New Orleans, The Lens joined Thompson for a free-wheeling conversation about the whys and wherefores of the crime epidemic. With his cooperation and approval, the exchanges below were rearranged, edited and condensed for clarity, brevity and readability. The conversation started – and ended – with Thompson offering his views on the root causes of the crime explosion…
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