In December, after Carroll donated $33,000 to the Georgia Innocence Project as part of Giving Tuesday, more than 250 people contributed a total of $39,000. Altogether, the fundraiser secured $72,000, according to the nonprofit.
Clare Gilbert, the Georgia Innocence Project's executive director, told Law360 Pulse on Monday that because of the fundraising efforts, the nonprofit was able to hire Isabel Corngold as a staff attorney and case coordinator. She started this month.
For nearly two decades, the nonprofit has worked toward helping prove the innocence of people wrongfully convicted, supporting them post-incarceration and raising awareness around the issues they face.
"What I have learned is that by having a robust staff that can focus time and attention on these cases to do the work, to secure pro bono partners as we often do in our cases with law firms and really work closely, co-counseling these cases with these firms, it makes a profound difference in being able to resolve these cases and being able to resolve them much more quickly," Gilbert said.
Corngold will supervise the nonprofit's attorneys, who handle applications and screening of accepted applications, as well as litigation work, Gilbert said.
Corngold, who earned her law degree at George Washington University Law School, brings experience as a Backlog Fellowship Attorney for the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project.
Carroll, who played in the NBA for 11 years for teams including the Golden State Warriors, New Jersey Nets and the Denver Nuggets, told Law360 Pulse on Monday that he wanted his contribution to encourage others to donate money or time to the Georgia Innocence Project, a nonprofit that he's supported for years.
"This is very critical work," he said.
The former NBA All-Star team player said that as a Black man who grew up in poverty, he identifies with many of those exonerated. Carroll is an Arkansas native who has lived in Atlanta for three decades.
"It motivates you when you take a closer look at it," Carroll said. "Most people find it unbelievable that someone can spend 30, 40, 50 years in prison for something they did not do."
The nonprofit estimates there are 2,000 people sitting in Georgia prisons who are innocent. The project adds that "unreliable convictions are often the result of racial bias, unreliable identifications, official misconduct and flawed forensics."
"We've got a long way to go because we know there's a large percentage that still remains in prison for something they did not do," Carroll said.
Carroll donated proceeds from his books, including his memoir "Growing Up: In Words and Images," according to the nonprofit. He previously donated to pay for a staff position about eight years ago.
"One of the things that sticks out when you meet these men and women is how resilient they are," Carroll said. "They've been through a very hellish process, and yet they're hopeful, and I try to do whatever I can to encourage that."
Carroll said he first became involved in the nonprofit after hearing about Clarence Harrison being exonerated in 2004. Harrison served over 17 years in prison for rape before he was proved innocent and exonerated, according to the National Registry of Exonerations.
Harrison was the first to be exonerated with the nonprofit's help, and the Georgia Innocence Project receives about 300 requests for help on cases each year.
--Editing by Gemma Horowitz.
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