Kathleen Folbigg and Tracy Chapman have rekindled a friendship that has endured two decades of grief and adversity. Their bond is the focus of a new book titled *Inside Out: An Incredible Friendship and Fight for Justice*. The book details the long struggle to overturn Folbigg's 2003 conviction for the deaths of her four children: eight-month-old Patrick, ten-month-old Sarah, eighteen-month-old Laura, and nineteen-day-old Caleb. Folbigg was sentenced to 40 years in prison, which was later reduced to a 25-year non-parole period.

Both women describe the book as a tribute to those who supported Folbigg in her quest for freedom. They hope it will prevent similar tragedies from happening to other grieving mothers. "That's an everyday thing. It's for the rest of your life, and not one that just switches off," Folbigg said. She expressed that while the grief remains, she has learned to focus on positive memories. "Instead of waking up and having to catch a breath, I can now wake up and greet the day."

During her trial, Folbigg faced intense public scrutiny and was labeled as Australia’s "worst serial child killer." Laura Dawes, a research fellow in medico-legal history at the Australian National University, noted that societal attitudes toward mothers in such tragedies have deep historical roots. "When a child dies, society looks to punish someone for that tragedy," Dawes explained. "If it appears that the mother has been culpable, this seems more deeply evil."

After two decades of failed appeals and two major inquiries, Folbigg's case gained new momentum in 2022 when a petition signed by over 100 scientists and medical experts led to a second judicial inquiry. New DNA evidence suggested a rare genetic mutation could have caused her children's deaths, indicating they may have died of natural causes. In 2023, Folbigg was granted an unconditional pardon, and her convictions were overturned.

Dawes highlighted the risks associated with convictions based on scientific evidence, noting that evolving research can render earlier conclusions unreliable. "The issue is more that law has to make a decision at a certain point in time, but that science continues to investigate and develop beyond that decision time," she said.

Unlike the United States, Australia lacks a centralized database for wrongful convictions. David Hamer, a law professor at the University of Sydney, stated that while the Australian criminal justice system is functional, improvements are needed. He suggested establishing a Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to investigate potential wrongful convictions and streamline the appeals process. "A CCRC is a far better solution than the current ad hoc inquiries that seem to be occurring on a regular basis," Hamer said.

Despite her exoneration, Folbigg's fight for justice continues. The New South Wales government has offered her a $2 million ex-gratia payment for her wrongful imprisonment, a sum she has called "insulting." "It's a case of 20 odd years, I didn't get to work for money like everyone else," Folbigg said. "There's no super. Lots of legal bills and things to pay."

Chapman echoed Folbigg's sentiments, emphasizing the need for judicial reforms to prevent similar cases in the future. "How much for a stolen life? And it was stolen, from her and we've proven that from a legal process," Chapman said. "We have to look at this in a bigger perspective. None of us should have gone through what we've gone through, and that's why we want broader reforms as well."