Darrell Siggers’ story is a powerful testament to resilience and hope. Born and raised in Michigan on Detroit’s East Side, Darrell was convicted at the age of 20 of a murder he didn’t commit. Terrorized by police and sentenced to life without parole, he spent his first few years in prison feeling bitter, angry, and betrayed by a broken judicial system. However, he soon realized that the only person who could truly support him was himself. Determined to fight his way out, Darrell turned to knowledge as his weapon, maintaining that “education is the one thing that freed me.”

The law library became his haven. The more information he absorbed, the more he craved, reading any type of law book he could get his hands on and dedicating uninterrupted time to examining the constitution. Darrell used this knowledge to constantly advocate for himself, spending decades attempting to overturn his conviction and exhausting every appeal process imaginable. He eventually connected with the Wayne County Conviction Integrity Unit – their investigation led prosecutors to vacate his conviction after ballistics evidence and witness testimony presented at his trial were deemed deficient. After 34 years spent behind bars – 34 years of lost freedom and time, 34 years of separation from friends and family, 34 years of being unable to establish a career and a nest egg – Darrell was free.

Re-entering society meant facing a vast array of new demands, as Darrell, like most exonerees, exited prison with no health insurance, Social Security, housing, transportation, work history, or savings. “My exoneration shuffled the whole deck. I had spent so many years fighting to get my life back but hadn’t planned on what I would do once I did,” said Siggers. Unlike many exonerees however, Darrell had a whole community waiting for him. His family, who had stayed by his side throughout his incarceration, continued to offer support as well as various lawyers and other professionals including Jon Eldan, Founder & Executive Director, of FFP Grantee, After Innocence, which provides free post-release assistance to exonerees nationwide.

In addition to providing dental/medical/mental health care, social services, and other first steps out of prison, After Innocence links exonerees with CFP® professional volunteers who provide individualized financial counseling. Through this program, Darrell connected with Jared Jones, CFP®, who provided objective, fiduciary guidance about how to navigate the settlement he received for his wrongful imprisonment. Financially savvy and very intelligent, Darrell had already started to explore how to invest his settlement and had received pitches from other advisors. Jared reviewed these proposals to ensure they were in Darrell’s best interests, explained the fees, identified the flaws, and then set forth a personalized comprehensive plan based upon Darrell’s goals. “Part of the real benefit of being a pro bono financial advisor is that my clients know that I am not here for their business,” said Jared. “I can advocate for them and let them know the right questions to ask.”

Jared taught Darrell about the pitfalls of being an emotional investor and the concept of risk tolerance, and also helped him to develop a trust to set his family up for future success. He remains an open line of communication whenever Darrell has a question. “Darrell is one of the smartest exonerees I have worked with,” said Jared who has worked with approximately ten After Innocence clients. “He could have done anything he wanted to in life but unfortunately he wasn’t able to.”

On why he has decided to dedicate so much time to serving exonerees, Jared said “Financial advisors benefit from people who have been well taken care of by society and circumstances. But the pro bono clients I work with – like Darrell — have been hurt tremendously by society and the legal system. I wanted to give back to them.”

Inspired by the support he received from individuals like Jared and organizations like After Innocence, Darrell is helping other exonerees navigate the challenges of rebuilding their lives via his nonprofit, AccessPlusAnswers. Darrell emphasizes the importance of financial planning in rebuilding one’s life after wrongful imprisonment. He believes that proper financial guidance can empower exonerees to secure their futures and achieve their goals. Darrell continues on the path of giving, driven by his philosophy that “every time I do something good for someone else, something good is given to me.”