Seriously...

Exonerated


Listen Later

John Toal meets former death-row inmates Sunny Jacobs and Peter Pringle at the retreat they have set up in rural Ireland to offer restorative treatment to other victims of wrongful conviction in order to help them back to a normal life.

Peter Pringle was sentenced to be hanged in Ireland in 1980. Sonia 'Sunny' Jacobs was sentenced to the electric chair in the United States in 1976. Sunny was accused of killing two police officers at a highway service area in Florida. Peter was accused of killing two police officers in rural Ireland during a botched bank robbery. Both had their sentences commuted to life and were later exonerated of their crimes. Peter and Sunny spent over 15 years each in prison for crimes they didn't commit.

After their release, life in the outside world was tough. They struggled to re-integrate into society. Practical things like crossing roads, opening doors or even being touched joined a long list of everyday challenges. Neither could escape the feeling that they had re-joined a society that had moved on without them.

In 1998 Peter heard Sunny give a talk about her death-row experience. Traumatised by her story and shocked by how similar their experiences were, Peter offered to drive Sunny to her next speaking engagement and their relationship grew from there.

Now married, Peter and Sunny run the Sunny Centre in rural Connemara, a retreat for people from around the world who have been wrongfully convicted and who are trying to retrace a path back into normal life.

For this programme, John Toal travels to the depths of the Irish countryside to hear Sunny and Peter's story. He hears how a combination of yoga, meditation, healthy food and the freedom to share their experiences with people who have been through similar trauma can assist those exonerated of dreadful crimes on their path back to normality ...and whether or not an exoneree can ever truly feel free again.

Producer: Jennifer Goggin.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Seriously...By BBC Radio 4

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

257 ratings


More shows like Seriously...

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,588 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,049 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,470 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,801 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,880 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,758 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,043 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,118 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,091 Listeners

Comedy of the Week by BBC Radio 4

Comedy of the Week

487 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

1,983 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

480 Listeners

Lives Less Ordinary by BBC World Service

Lives Less Ordinary

592 Listeners

Profile by BBC Radio 4

Profile

106 Listeners

Last Word by BBC Radio 4

Last Word

44 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

297 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

852 Listeners

All in the Mind by BBC Radio 4

All in the Mind

67 Listeners

Private Passions by BBC Radio 3

Private Passions

46 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,180 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,015 Listeners

Life Changing by BBC Radio 4

Life Changing

103 Listeners

This Cultural Life by BBC Radio 4

This Cultural Life

80 Listeners

When It Hits the Fan by BBC Radio 4

When It Hits the Fan

49 Listeners

Young Again by BBC Radio 4

Young Again

46 Listeners