A LETTER FROM OUR CEO: Freedom Is More Than a Release Date

October is Wrongful Conviction Awareness Month, a time to recognize the people who have been wrongfully incarcerated and the importance of continuing to address the circumstances that can keep people behind bars when they should be home.

Recently a Louisiana woman remained incarcerated for 100 days after a judge ordered her release.

One hundred days.

For those of us who understand the impacts of incarceration, those additional 100 days matter. They represent more time away from family, work, home, and a freedom that had already been granted.

Her story speaks to a larger reality: freedom is not always as simple as a release date. Through our Safety & Freedom Fund, we have contributed to the collective efforts supporting people who have spent years incarcerated while challenging their convictions. Most recently, the Fund posted bonds to help bring Keith Ezidore and Cheri Hayden home after decades behind bars.

While their circumstances are different, each experience demonstrates why a person’s ability to return home when legally permitted matters.

Returning home, however, is only one part of the conversation. For many women, returning home comes with its own challenges. The latest National Research shows that Louisiana incarcerates women and girls at a rate higher than the national average. When women return home, they struggle with finding safe housing, gaining meaningful employment, access to education, establishing true financial stability, and reconnecting with their families. Every extra day in person exacerbates these issues.

At Operation Restoration, we see them every day, but before women can begin the work of rebuilding their lives, they first have to make it home.

Once a person has fulfilled their sentence and obligations, keeping them incarcerated is immoral and inhumane. They deserve the opportunity to come home and move forward. This is why the work of Operation Restoration and our partners is so important, from advocating for timely release to supporting women as they rebuild their lives.

In Gratitude,

Syrita Steib

Founder, President & CEO

Operation Restoration