Hope and help for wrongfully incarcerated Pennsylvanians With Project HOPE, President’s Engagement Prize winners Carson Eckhard, Natalia Rommen, and Sarah Simon will address the lack of support to wrongfully incarcerated people in Philadelphia and across the state. Carson Eckhard (left), Sarah Simon (center) and Natalia Rommen (right) won the President’s Engagement Prize for Project HOPE.
Philadelphia has one of the highest incarceration rates of any big city in the United States, and from 1996 to 2018 the city found itself at the top of the list. Adding to this notorious distinction is Philadelphia s relatively high wrongful-conviction rate. For Penn seniors Carson Eckhard, Natalia Rommen, and Sarah Simon, these rates were more than just unfortunate statistics; they were a catalyst for them to help make profound changes in the criminal justice system.