Elation greeted Dontae Sharpe as he walked out of jail a free man, 26 years after being wrongly convicted of homicide.

However proving his innocence was solely step one down a protracted highway. As he tried to rebuild his life – and to carry the system accountable – there was nonetheless one factor eluding him.

Replace: On 12 November, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper granted Dontae a full pardon.

This movie was created by Chelsea Bailey, Hannah Lengthy-Higgins and Shrai Popat

Extra filming by Eric Preston, Fusion Movies and Spencer Zachary. Graphics and animation by Sarah Scott

Dontae Sharpe is at the moment a RISE Fellow with Ahead Justice, the place he advocates for prison justice reform in North Carolina.