Show Host Served Nearly 10 Years For A Murder He Didn’t Commit A new reality show on MTV is tackling the shocking epidemic of wrongful convictions – and its disproportionate impact on the black community. “Unlocking The Truth” follows Ryan Ferguson, who spent a decade in prison for a murder he did not do, and investigator Eva Nagao as they uncover new evidence in crimes where the defendants were convicted under questionable circumstances. “This is something that is very real,” Ferguson told BOSSIP. “It could happen to anyone at any time.” There are about 2.3 million people in prison, and a little less than half are black men, according to the Bureau of Prisons. Of the number of incarcerated, the show estimates there are as many as 60,000 innocent people who are currently locked up. Ferguson himself was convicted of murder and spent his 20s behind bars, until witnesses in his case recanted. He filed an appeal, and a judge ordered him released. He now has a lawsuit pending against the prosecutors and law enforcement who pushed for his conviction. “Somebody right now is going through what I went through,” he said. “This happens to poor people, and there are racial issues as well.” Ferguson’s co-star, Nagao agreed, and said the public is interested in police accountability, especially after several recent incidents of police shooting unarmed black men. “I think it speaks to broader issues that people are interested in,” she said, “and highlights the systemic failures that there are.” The first episode sees Ferguson return to the same Kansas City, Mo. prison he’d been locked up in to visit Michael Politte, a man who said he was wrongly convicted of bludgeoning his mother and setting her on fire when he was just 14 years old. Ferguson said he planned to continue his work around wrongful convictions as long as he could because in helping others, he was helping himself. The show’s goal is to use individual cases to expose the system-wide failures within the criminal justice system – and its unequal burden on the black community, said Andrew Jenks, the show’s executive producer. “The judicial system is f**ked, needs major overhaul,” Jenks said, “and if we can play a small part in making a difference, that’s awesome.” “Unlocking The Truth” premieres Aug. 17 at 11 p.m. on MTV.
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New MTV Show “Unlocking The Truth” Tackles Wrongful Convictions
