A Path to Financial Health and Well-Being: Innocence Project Partners With Goldman Sachs Ayco to Provide a Financial Wellness Program for Exonerees

(Image: Elijah Craig II/Innocence Project)

The Innocence Project has forged a unique partnership with Goldman Sachs Ayco (“Ayco”), offering a Financial Wellness program to freed and exonerated people who are rebuilding their lives and charting new futures. This innovative program provides a comprehensive financial toolset, equipping clients with the capacity to set goals, the confidence to tackle financial challenges, and the knowledge to achieve financial stability.

This Financial Wellness program is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It is tailored to each individual’s unique financial needs and knowledge. It provides guidance and education through on-demand digital tools and personalized one-on-one financial coaching, ensuring that each exoneree receives the support they need.

The reality is that there is no state provided infrastructure or services to assist an innocent person who spent decades in prison for a crime they did not commit. Exonerees returning from long-term incarceration face numerous challenges, many of which are financial in nature. Ayco’s program, which is offered as pro-bono assistance, is intended to decrease financial stress and help individuals feel more in control of their financial future as they reestablish themselves in what is often a vastly changed world. Financial stability helps promote and support independence and self-determination of exonerees. With its comprehensive financial literacy toolset, the Financial Wellness program has the potential to play a crucial role in building an exoneree’s financial capability, confidence, and knowledge. This, in turn, has a profound and lasting impact on their reentry journey.

While every exoneration is emotional and jubilant, it is just the beginning of a long road to reclaiming one’s life.

Our goal with this partnership is to establish a comprehensive support system for those transitioning home after wrongful incarceration. We want our clients to feel secure in knowing that this program is committed to understanding their circumstances and providing the knowledge they need to reclaim their financial independence as they continue their reentry journey.