FORT SMITH, Ark. — A Philadelphia man who spent nearly two decades in prison for a crime he did not commit will share his experiences with wrongful convictions and failures in the justice system Friday night at the United States Marshals Museum, according to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Termaine Hicks will be the featured guest at the U.S. Marshals Museum’s “True Crime Tonight” event, part of an ongoing speaker series designed to examine the complexities of law enforcement and the criminal justice system through multiple perspectives.
Leslie Higgins, chief program officer at the U.S. Marshals Museum, told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that the series features “a variety of speakers from multiple sides and perspectives, from current and former law enforcement, to podcasters who have researched cases, to those affected by crime themselves.” The goal, she said, is to inspire others and raise awareness about the need for criminal justice reform.
According to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Hicks’ remarks will address a range of issues, including police misconduct, corruption within police departments, misconduct in the prosecutorial process and injustices he said he experienced during his incarceration.
Hicks was exonerated in 2020 and released from prison 18 years after his 2002 sexual assault conviction, after the district attorney’s office determined that much of the police officer’s testimony — the primary evidence supporting the conviction — was false, according to the Innocence Project, the newspaper reported.
Higgins described Hicks’ story as both a warning and a source of inspiration. “This event is important because it allows people to hear firsthand the story of someone who has been personally affected by flaws in our justice system,” she said, according to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Hicks said that following his release, he felt an obligation to speak publicly about his experience with the justice system. “This is not something that I believe I could have kept to myself,” he said, adding, “I would have been doing a disservice. You never know who’s listening to you speak, whose life you may touch.”
According to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Hicks serves as a board member of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and said it took the organization eight years to assist him with his case. He said he now wants to help others facing similar circumstances.
“I tell them first and foremost, it’s a long fight,” Hicks said, according to the article. “In most cases, you’re going to sit a long time, because of just the judicial process of trying to undo any conviction, wrongful or not.” He urges those in similar situations to remain patient and not give up hope.
The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that since his release from prison about five years ago, Hicks has devoted much of his time to advising people who are wrongfully convicted and sharing his story publicly. According to the article, he is also working with two writers on a docuseries about his case.
Hicks has also founded a nonprofit organization called STEPUP, which stands for Selfless Thinking Expresses Potential that Uplifts People. According to the organization’s website, STEPUP focuses on creating educational and inspirational short films and facilitating dialogue aimed at preventing gun violence and bullying in local schools and communities.
According to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, one of Hicks’ central messages is that accountability must be a requirement for meaningful reform of the justice system. While he acknowledged that not all police officers, judges and prosecutors engage in misconduct, he said immunity protections allow wrongdoing to continue.
“Until that happens, … there’s going to be some corrupt ones falling through the cracks,” Hicks said, according to the article.
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