LIFE SENTENCE is a music project based on the wrongful conviction of Clarence Harrison. Clarence served 18 years of a life sentence for a crime he did not commit. Exonerated in 2004 by Georgia Innocence Project, Clarence's story is uniquely heartbreaking and hauntingly familiar. The music, written by Melanie Hammet and Ben Holst, chronicles the fears and frustrations and the breaking light of hope when Mr. Harrison first believed a return to the world was possible. The song "Only God Knows That" takes us to the reality of that return, where life has shifted and forever changed ("what is truth? well here's the fact: only god knows that").
Six of these songs, paired with Clarence's narrative, have become the live performance which is centerpiece to LIFE SENTENCE. The performance tells the difficult story with empathy and inspiration and fosters a space for asking hard questions and sharing hard truths.
These songs, including spoken word pieces by Clarence, have become the CD "Life 20|20", named after the sentence Clarence received: life. Plus twenty years. Plus twenty years.