Research by junior Natalie Ellis, center, through the UT Arlington Innocence Network resulted in the exoneration of Christopher Scott, left, and Claude Simmons, who served 12 years in prison for a crime they did not commit. Photo courtesy of University of Texas at Arlington.

Cheers to the Houston Chronicle online for picking up this article about a Texas support program for men wrongly imprisoned for crimes.

The Dallas County program was created by Dr. Jaimie Page, MSW, assistant professor at Texas A&M Commerce. Page started the program while teaching at the University of Texas-Arlington.

Many of the men in the UTA Exoneree Project were cleared after DNA evidence was reviewed. Although the state compensates them for being mistakenly put in prison many have been jailed for decades. Some leave prison with health problems and struggle to find employment.

The group helps them lobby for new laws to support other exonerees. “These guys mean business,” Page said. “They’re serious about changing laws. They’re serious about changing society.”

To learn more about social workers and the criminal justice system, click here to read “Criminal Justice Social Work in the United States: Adapting to New Challenges,” a report from the National Association of Social Workers and NASW’s Center for Workforce Studies.