Taryn Simon

The Innocents documents the stories of individuals who served time in prison for violent crimes they did not commit. At issue is the question of photography's function as a credible eyewitness and arbiter of justice.

The primary cause of wrongful conviction is mistaken identification. A victim or eyewitness identifies a suspected perpetrator through law enforcement's use of photographs and lineups. This procedure relies on the assumption of precise visual memory. But, through exposure to composite sketches, mugshots, Polaroids, and lineups, eyewitness memory can change. In the history of these cases, photography offered the criminal justice system a tool that transformed innocent citizens into criminals. Photographs assisted officers in obtaining eyewitness identifications and aided prosecutors in securing convictions.

Simon photographed these men at sites that had particular significance to their illegitimate conviction: the scene of misidentification, the scene of arrest, the scene of the crime or the scene of the alibi. All of these locations hold contradictory meanings for the subjects. The scene of arrest marks the starting point of a reality based in fiction. The scene of the crime is at once arbitrary and crucial: this place, to which they have never been, changed their lives forever. In these photographs Simon confronts photography's ability to blur truth and fiction-an ambiguity that can have severe, even lethal consequences.

Charles Irvin Fain

Scene of the crime, the snake River, Melba, Idaho
Served 18 years of a death sentence for Kidnapping, Rape and murder, 2002

Chromogenic print, 48 x 60 inches (121.9 x 152.4 cm), Edition of 5
© Taryn Simon

Larry Mayes

Scene of arrest, The Royal Inn, Gary, Indiana
Police found Mayes hiding beneath a mattress in this room
Served 18.5 years of an 80-year sentence for Rape, Robbery, and Unlawful Deviate Conduct, 2002

Chromogenic print, 48 x 60 inches (121.9 x 152.4 cm), Edition of 5
© Taryn Simon

Frederick Daye

Alibi location, American Legion Post 310, San Diego, California
Where 13 witnesses placed Daye at the time of the crime
Served 10 years of a life sentence for Kidnapping, RApe and Vehicle Theft, 2002

Chromogenic print, 48 x 60 inches (121.9 x 152.4 cm), Edition of 5
© Taryn Simon

Troy Webb

Scene of the crime, The Pines, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Served 7 years of a 47-year sentence for Kidnapping, Rape and Robbery, 2002

Chromogenic print, 48 x 60 inches (121.9 x 152.4 cm), Edition of 5
© Taryn Simon

Tim Durham

Skeet shooting, Tulsa, Oklahoma
11 alibi witnesses placed Durham at a skeet-shooting competition at the time of the crime
Served 3.5 years of a 3,220 year sentence for Rape and Robbery, 2002

Chromogenic print, 48 x 60 inches (121.9 x 152.4 cm), Edition of 5
© Taryn Simon

Ronald Jones

Scene of arrest, South Side, Chicago, Illinois
Served 8 years of a death sentence for Rape and Murder, 2002

Chromogenic print, 48 x 60 inches (121.9 x 152.4 cm), Edition of 5
© Taryn Simon

William Gregory

Wick's Parlor, Louisville, Kentucky
With fiancé Vicki Kidwell, whom he dated prior to conviction
Gregory was pool champion in prision
Served 7 years of a 70 year sentence for Rape and Burglary, 2002

Chromogenic print, 48 x 60 inches (121.9 x 152.4 cm), Edition of 5
© Taryn Simon

Calvin Washinton

C&E Motel, Room No. 24, Waco, Texas
Where an informant claimed to have heard Washington confess
Served 13 years of a Life sentence for Capital Murder, 2002

Chromogenic print, 48 x 60 inches (121.9 x 152.4 cm), Edition of 5
© Taryn Simon

Larry Youngblood

Alibi location, Tucson, Arizona
With Alice Laitner, Youngblood's girlfriend and alibi witness at trial
Served 8 years of a 10.5 year sentence for Sexual Assault, Kidnapping and Child Molestation, 2002

Chromogenic print, 48 x 60 inches (121.9 x 152.4 cm), Edition of 5
© Taryn Simon

Ron Williamson

Baseball field, Norman, Oklahoma
Williamson has been drafted by the Oakland Athletics before being sentenced to death
Served 11 years of a death sentence for First Degree Murder, 2002

Chromogenic print, 48 x 60 inches (121.9 x 152.4 cm), Edition of 5
© Taryn Simon

Clyde Charles

Terrebonne Criminal Justice Complex, Houma, Louisiana
Where Clyde's brother Marlo is being held
Clyde was held here and convicted of the same crime as Marlo
Served 17 years of a Life sentence for Aggravated Rape, 2002

Chromogenic print, 48 x 60 inches (121.9 x 152.4 cm), Edition of 5
© Taryn Simon

Jeffrey Pierce

Lake Huron, Port Huron, Michigan
Served 15 years of a 65-year sentencefor Rape and Robbery, 2002

Chromogenic print, 48 x 60 inches (121.9 x 152.4 cm), Edition of 5
© Taryn Simon

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