Ben Baker grew up in the Ida B. Wells housing projects in Bronzeville where he says a Chicago police officer planted drugs on him and his wife in 2005. Baker spent almost ten years in prison because of that drug charge. 

But the police officer Baker says framed them was later caught in an FBI sting and went to prison. Baker was exonerated and finally released from prison four months ago. In this StoryCorps conversation, Ben Baker and his wife Clarissa talk about their differing levels of belief in this country’s criminal justice system. 

The recording was made by StoryCorps Chicago in partnership with Georgetown University’s American Pilgrimage Project and the Invisible Institute.

StoryCorps’ mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to share, record and preserve their stories. These excerpts, edited by WBEZ, present some of our favorites from the current visit, as well as from previous trips.