Once convicted, a prisoner who says he is innocent rarely gets anyone's attention. He usually lacks the money, the lawyers and the outside support needed to be heard. The system does not reliably fix its own errors, so correction often depends on new proof like DNA and on ordinary people who refuse to let go.
The man wrongly imprisoned had years to work through his anger, through faith and family. He reached forgiveness first, and then helped the woman who had accused him face her own guilt. The two became friends and began speaking together about how the justice system fails.
A victim can study her attacker's face on purpose, feel completely sure, and still pick the wrong man. Being honest and confident does not make a witness accurate. This is especially true when the witness and the suspect are of different races.
A witness builds a sketch, then picks the photo most like the sketch, then picks that same face again in a live lineup. Each choice tests her memory of the photo, not of the crime. When police praise her after each step, she grows surer, even as she drifts further from what she actually saw.
An innocent man who confuses one weekend with another gives an alibi that sounds like a lie. A trivial mistake in an alibi, or talking without a lawyer, can make a jury reject him. He later wonders whether a different shirt or a clearer memory of dates would have kept him free.