Chicago again: Two wrongful convictions at once

And the record is still not expunged

After spending 10 years in prison for crimes he did not commit, Dana Holland has a surprisingly positive outlook. "We're only human, and people make mistakes," says the 40-year-old Chicago native. "There are ways to show the truth and keep people honest, and there's lots of good in the system, too." A tall [black] man with a shaved head and a slight mustache, Holland has an easy-going demeanor and a quick smile. He now helps other inmates who believe they were wrongfully convicted.

Holland was arrested in 1993, at age 25, on the South Side in connection with the rape of a 22-year-old woman in a nearby alley. Several weeks later, he was charged with armed robbery and attempted murder mostly, his attorney says, because he was already in custody for the rape. The two crimes took place several weeks apart in the same neighborhood, and Holland was eventually found guilty of both. He was sentenced to 118 years behind bars.

Years later, DNA evidence exonerated him in the rape case. And after other witnesses came forward in the second case, he was cleared of those charges as well. Holland served 10 years before his release in June 2003 at the age of 35.

Since then, Holland has gotten married and settled down in Sauk Village, a suburb just south of Chicago. He says what he enjoys most is spending time with his family - wife Kara and sons Josiah, 2, and Asa, 9 months. He also has two older sons, Dana, 17, and Calvin, 8, from previous relationships. "I want to make a better life for them," Holland says.

In order to do that, he is determined to prevent other innocent people from going through the same ordeal. So he spends his free time working with the organizations that helped exonerate him: the Center on Wrongful Convictions, based in Chicago, and the Innocence Project, which is headquartered in New York and has offices all over the country, including Chicago.

Karen Daniel, an attorney with the Center on Wrongful Convictions, has been representing Holland for seven years. She said she recommended that he work at the Innocence Project after his release because of his ability to be a positive role model to others. "Dana is a wonderful speaker and very personable," Daniel says. "He has a very positive message, and I felt he had a lot to give."

For example, Daniel says, on the Easter after he was freed from prison, Holland went back there to spend time with, counsel and comfort the inmates still behind bars. "He's really great in the role of a mentor," Daniel says.

Although Holland had the misfortune of being wrongfully convicted twice, Daniel says she has seen similar cases in her eight years at the center. "It makes sense that it can happen. Once they get you in custody for one thing, they start suspecting you of other things," says Daniel, who has handled about 25 to 30 wrongful conviction cases.

Because both crimes are still on his record, Holland says finding work has been difficult. "No one will hire without a background search, and my record hasn't been expunged yet." Though he has not had a steady job since he got out of prison, he does electrical work with a friend, Sam Perkins. "Dana has a giving heart," says Perkins, 54. "He is a good person and . . . he wants to make a difference in the world around him."

Perkins, of Chicago's Southeast Side, has known Holland for about four years. They met when both did odd jobs for a man they felt was not a good boss. They decided to work together instead, and Perkins says he has not regretted the decision....

The most remarkable thing about Holland, according to Perkins, is that he managed to find a renewed faith in God behind bars instead of becoming embittered or dwelling on his misfortunes. It's especially encouraging to hear him speak the word of God after what he's been through," Perkins says. "It's really inspirational."

Holland credits his faith with helping him get through a tough time. "I grew closer to God in prison because there is no one else," he says. "People in high places were lying, but I knew the truth and so did God, and eventually the truth came out."

But Holland's fight is not quite over. Daniel is still trying to get his criminal record expunged so he can have a better chance at finding a steady job and move on with his life. "After everything I've been through, it's not always easy," Holland says. "But it's all been worth it. There's no place like home

Original report here. More background on the case here.



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