It might be the oddest pairing of two individuals since Oscar Madison and Felix Unger: a conservative, law-and-order attorney general hiring a convicted sex offender to work in his office while he attempts to clear the man from the charges that caused him to spend 27 years in prison.
An article in Wednesday’s Washington Post tells the story of Thomas Haynesworth, a man who was convicted in 1984 on four counts of rape, and sentenced to over 80 years in prison. A recent review of the DNA evidence cleared Haynesworth on two of the charges.
After hearing of Haynesworth’s exoneration on these charges, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli examined the remaining convictions, and became convinced of Haynesworth’s innocence. He has taken up the cause, testifying before an appeals court that Haynesworth was wrongly convicted, and that his name should be removed from the sex offender registry.
But Cuccinelli didn’t stop there.
Knowing how difficult it is for a convicted felon to procure employment, the attorney general has hired Haynesworth to work as a clerk in his Richmond office, giving him an opportunity to rebuild his life after nearly three decades behind bars.
“He’s an extraordinary guy,” Haynesworth says of Cuccinelli. “A total stranger [who] put it on the line for me.”
Unmentioned in the Post’s story is that Cuccinelli is well-known in Virginia for his strong evangelical Christian faith – a fact that has made him one of the more polarizing elected officials in the state.
Certainly, one can see how the attorney general’s faith might have informed and directed his behavior in this instance. The story brings to mind Jesus’ parable of the “Good Samaritan.” In both cases, an individual seeks to act justly to someone who would normally be considered an adversary and provides for him in a way that others would not.
By supporting Haynesworth, Cuccinelli has followed the prophet Micah’s call to “act justly and to love mercy.” Both are desirable traits in those who work in the justice system. May others in positions of authority follow his example.