Newsflash! Floridea Incarcerated INNOCENT Man for 24 Years!!!!!

[Demelza]

Just a follow-up to the death penalty conversations as of late: here is a story of a man exonerated by DNA evidence after nearly a quarter century in jail. He was sentenced to 130 years in prison for crimes he DID NOT commit. Thankfully, this man was not sentenced to death.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/01/23/national/a102538S50.DTL

 

[tanuki]

There was a guy in Georgia incarcerated for 26 years for a rape he didn''t commit. The real rapist is in jail serving time for other rapes.

There was an interesting Op Ed column that I read - if the states are so sure that there isn''t someone, somewhere in the pipeline to be executed (or already executed) that is innocent of the crime why make such a fuss to try and inpede with the DNA testing?

They know the system isn''t 100 percent accurate. They just don''t want the public to find out.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 1/24/2006 7:07:27 AM
Author: tanuki

They know the system isn''t 100 percent accurate. They just don''t want the public to find out.

Given that most people already KNOW it isn''t 100% accurate, there''s really nothing to find out, is there?

 

[monarch64]

Oh man, as soon as I saw this news on the computer last night I had a feeling someone was going to post it here today!

 

[Rank Amateur]

I am shocked. And here I was believing that our criminal justice system is perfect.

 

[Demelza]

Date: 1/24/2006 11:25:18 PM
Author: Rank Amateur
I am shocked. And here I was believing that our criminal justice system is perfect.

What does this have to do with anything? Isn''t this skirting the issue a bit? No one in his/her right mind would claim that the justice system works perfectly. But the fact that it doesn''t is VERY serious business. Does anyone think it''s inconsequential that this man was poor, uneducated, and black? Would this have happened to a wealthy, educated, white man? Chances are slim. Does anyone else find this deeply disturbing? Do we just throw up our hands and say, oh well, the justice system isn''t perfect? Mistakes will happen. They are inevitable. But at least this man has some chance of having a life.

 

[colormyworld]

Given that most people already KNOW it isn't 100% accurate, there's really nothing to find out, is there?

Seems to me there is a lot we learn about ourselves here. In patacular our cavalier atatiude toward the plight of others.
When because of resources we know we will never personaly face a situation like this. .
We" Find out" how apathy shapes the world and affects others.