why i do what i do

most of us have days at our jobs that make us feel like the minutes are ticking by slowly and that quitting time will never get there. there are days when getting to go home, kick back and relax is the only thing we have on our minds. and there are definitely mornings when we'd all rather stay in bed for another hour instead of waking ourselves up, dressing ourselves and getting ourselves out the door and on the way to work is the last thing on our minds. i have to admit that even though i like what i'm doing at my current job, i have those days as well.

but not today. today, i was reminded of why i do what i do and why what i do matters...

many people don't know the story of the Norfolk Four and the major injustice that took place in that particular case (you can click on the link if you want to learn about their stories). the gist of the story is that 4 men spent over a decade in prison for a crime they didn't commit. there was no physical evidence that linked any of them to the crime scene, and investigators subjected them to harsh interrogation techniques, breaking them down until all four of them falsely confessed to a crime they never committed.

three of the four men were released in recent months, after 11 years of their lives had been lost in the prison system, doing time for a crime they were not responsible for. but maybe what is most atrocious about their situation is the errors in our justice system that allowed it to happen. they needed a legal team of nearly 60 people in order to achieve the pardon they received from the governor.

and today, i met those three men. well, i didn't MEET them, meet them, but i was at an event where the three men talked about their experiences, their years lost, seeming hopelessness of their situation, and the people who were on their side when all hope was gone. it was a good reminder that even though what i do on a daily basis involves statistics, research and information, and most times i feel like my work is not making a difference... that it actually is. it was a good reminder that the part of my job that raises awareness of the flaws of our criminal justice system can create lasting influence that can be life or death for someone. behind the numbers, behind the statistics, behind the random pieces of facts that i know in my head, there are people. and those people have daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, spouses, brothers, sisters and friends.