[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 197 (Thursday, December 13, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1663]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





         HONORING THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF ANTHONY RAY HINTON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 13, 2018

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to honor 
the extraordinary life of Mr. Anthony Ray Hinton. Mr. Hinton was on 
death row for 30 years before being cleared of a crime he never 
committed. He has now written a memoir relaying his experiences and 
frequently speaks about the need for reform of our nation's criminal 
justice system. As we debate passage of legislation which would 
transform our criminal justice system, I believe it is important that 
Mr. Hinton's story is told and that his call for reform is heard in the 
halls of Congress.
   The story that led to Mr. Hinton's wrongful incarceration began in 
1985 after the murder of two men in two separate armed robbery 
incidents at Birmingham restaurants. Later that year, a third 
restaurant manager in Bessemer was shot and wounded. The manager then 
identified Mr. Hinton from a photo lineup, even though Hinton was 
working at a warehouse 15 miles away on the night of the shooting. 
Despite the lack of evidence against him, Mr. Hinton was soon arrested.
   Police recovered six slugs from the crime scenes and the state 
forensics department matched them to a rusty .38 special that 
detectives took from Mr. Hinton's mother's home, where he lived. Mr. 
Hinton was charged with two counts of capital murder. He maintained his 
innocence and passed a lie detector test before his trial.
   During his arrest, Mr. Hinton says police refused to explain the 
charges against him, but they assured him that he would be convicted 
simply because he was black. Mr. Hinton's court-appointed attorney 
believed that most black people would lie about committing a crime, so 
he failed to represent the case adequately. Despite limited evidence 
and a sworn testimony provided by Mr. Hinton's employer stating that he 
had been at work on the night of the robbery, the jury convicted Mr. 
Hinton and sentenced him to death.
   To pass the days while serving his sentence, Mr. Hinton began to 
read and organized a book club for fellow prisoners. He made friends 
and says he never saw any of his fellow inmates as `monsters.' Instead, 
he learned to see the good in all people and believes it was his 
attitude that helped him survive.
   After a decade on death row, the Equal Justice Initiative in 
Montgomery took on Mr. Hinton's case. During their appeal, evidence was 
introduced from three forensic experts. Still, the Alabama Court of 
Criminal Appeals refused to overturn his convictions or grant a new 
trial. For 16 years, the Equal Justice Initiative continued to push for 
a retrial. Finally, in 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Mr. 
Hinton's original defense lawyer was ``constitutionally deficient,'' 
and remanded his case to the lower court for retrial. After the Supreme 
Court ruling, the Jefferson County District Attorney moved to drop his 
case.
   On April 3, 2015, Mr. Hinton was released from prison after three 
decades on death row. Mr. Hinton had 30 years of his life taken away 
from him. During this time his mother, a woman who never ceased to 
believe in her son's innocence, passed away. Mr. Hinton says it broke 
his heart to realize she would never have the opportunity to see her 
son as a free man again. Mr. Hinton was punished for another person's 
crimes. But if he were to live the rest of his life in anger, he would 
have even more of his life taken away. In his own words, ``The rest of 
my life is mine. Alabama took 30 years. That was enough.''
   Mr. Hinton's wrongful conviction shines a light on the failures of 
our criminal justice system. He has written a memoir, The Sun Does 
Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row, and has travelled the 
country, giving readings and talks on his experiences. Today, Mr. 
Hinton continues to work with the Equal Justice Initiative, sharing his 
story nationwide. He even spoke at the Peace and Justice Summit, held 
by the Equal Justice Initiative, earlier this year. Mr. Hinton's work 
bringing awareness to the issue of criminal justice has encouraged 
advocates across the country to join the fight for prison reform.
   Mr. Hinton is far from alone in his experience with our criminal 
justice system. Since 1973, a total of 158 people have been released 
from death row after evidence of their innocence was uncovered. As 
Congress debates passage of legislation to reform our criminal justice 
system, the lessons learned from Mr. Hinton's case, and from others who 
have wrongfully been sent to death row, must be remembered.
   Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 7th Congressional District and the 
State of Alabama, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life 
and the extraordinary sacrifices made by Mr. Anthony Ray Hinton in our 
pursuit of a more perfect Union. He is a symbol of hope and 
perseverance in our fight for reform. His legacy of resilience will 
lead the way for equality in our justice system.

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