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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 1/9/2008 9:37:14 AM | Of course he'll be able to get a date. There was even a big, long thread on POF where a number of women talked about their prison boyfriends, so there are members on THIS site whose bfs did crimes and are still in the joint even now.
This particular guy was innocent and it's been determined that he didn't do anything. He'll be able to get dates. Getting a good job will be a little harder, but not impossible if he starts out with crap jobs and works his way up. I hope he doesn't have a bunch of pessimistic people around him like some of the posters here! | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/18/2008 6:43:43 PM | | unfortionaly no system is perfict. I personally think that if they have the evidence, they should do DNA in all possable situations to confirm or deny. | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/18/2008 7:00:03 PM | [The guy will sue the state of Texas and get a mini-fortune out of this]
Not saying that someone does not desrve something back that was taken from them, but is money always the answer? Is the money really comming out of the pocket of the people who put them there or is it the taz payer who is paying for this innocent person? | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/18/2008 7:32:10 PM |
Is the money really comming out of the pocket of the people who put them there or is it the taz payer who is paying for this innocent person?
Since the taz payer is the one paying the salary of the people who convicted an innocent person, the taz payer should have to be the one to compensate them...
Now as far as the tax payers go, I don't know... | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/19/2008 3:53:11 AM | | I got an uncle who spent some time in slam, about 7 yrs. When he got out he found it hard to break back into the swing of things. But wow 26 yrs, this man is going to really have a hard time. | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/19/2008 5:20:37 AM | This sort of stuff should not happen. As someone else said, this is another great reason to not have the death penalty. I said this before and I will say this again, I would rather a guilty man be free (with certain restrictions and servaillaince and probation going on offcourse) then have an innocent person be in jail let alone die for nothing.
It's times like that where one just wishes there were other ways to deal with this. Making sure without a shadow of a doubt that the person is innocent before locking them, up, otherwise they will have to consider other ways to handle this, but you just can't put an innocent person to jail or death for something they didn't do. | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/19/2008 6:01:21 AM | Making sure without a shadow of a doubt that the person is innocent before locking them, up, otherwise they will have to consider other ways to handle this, but you just can't put an innocent person to jail or death for something they didn't do.
Oh my, pardon me, I misworded this, I meant to say ... Making sure without a shadow of a doubt that the person is guilty before locking them up...
Sorry for that ugly error lol.
They have to make sure that the person is 100% GUILTY and beyond reasonable doubt, otherwise they shouldn't put the person in jail and most definately not even think about killing them.!!
If you think about this, whoever the person who was the one wrongfully accusing someone or lying and making false allegations, and as a result, someone not only goes to jail but lets say also gets the death penalty for that.... not to sound TOO harsh, but if anyone would deserve the death penalty it may just be the person who makes deliberate false accusations like that which result in the death of an innocent person.
This just should never happen, and yes as someone already gently and kindly said, the system down there in the States and even here in Canada is becoming corrupt. Even some guards are acting silly and unprofessionally. | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/19/2008 6:27:41 AM | We live in an imperfect world. Our justice system is not perfect. We have D.A.s that have political aspirations and a high conviction rate looks better than letting criminals get away. Tje public defenders are usually underfunded and rookie lawyers unless its a high profile case. Racism still exists, ( I am sure Obama is getting lots of white votes so as to ease guilt, " I'm not racist, I voted for Obama." Judges are human and suffer from the same foibles as the rest of u. This is all true but we are lucky to have the new technology like DNA testing. Our system is better than most, atleast we have juries, as flawed as they are. When I was traveling back in the 70's I went through Iran( the shah was in power) and they executed a Pakistani at the border for smuggling hashish, no trial just found the hash and took him out back of the border station and shot him, no trial no appeal.
I feel for the poor man that was wrongly convicted but until we live in a perfect society where everyone puts a side their self interest and thinks of the common good first we will have injustices. Wait if we have a perfect society as before mentioned we won't need a justice system now will we? | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/19/2008 8:57:56 AM | from the op:
"a man in Texas spent over 26 years in prison before being found innocent of his crime (rape) through DNA testing"
26 years for rape. Is this approximately standard for this offense in Texas? No wonder so many people are wasting away in jail. Why not just kill them, innocent or not and relieve them of existing in such a miserable, unforgiving state. | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/19/2008 1:40:35 PM | Time for him to move out of state and sue then! Make his bucks and live well away from Texas.
Sure...about 10% of the prison population is in there convicted of a crime they did not commit. But which ones? Hmmm...
The system is slanted at times. Sometimes it seems the victim is actually the guilty one, and gets revictimized. Other times someone gets accused and convicted on the slimmest of evidence.
The idea of "reasonable doubt" exists so that someone, almost anyone, can bring this point to bear to a jury and win their freedom.
there was a case where a man robbed a liquor store. Caught on videotape...no doubt who it was, etc, etc. He had a credit card reciept form the same day, roughly the same time, from a place over 100 miles away. (The clerk had forgotten to change the date on the macjine...it wasn't all automatic back then!). This brought forth the "reasonable doubt", and this criminal got away...that time.
The system will work, when ALL the evidence is allowed to be heard.
A lot of Canadians bring up the Milguard case....they do not follow up with "after getting his money form the Crown for locking up an innocent man for years, he decided to get drunk and steal a car, thereby landing him right back in jail."
Becoming "institutionalized" is a hard thing for people to break. Soldiers feel it when they leave the services. A sense of loss and being lost.
We can work on that kind of thing, rather than allowing people to try and make their own way, but, again, it takes money. This is the whole idea of "halfway-houses". It gives people time to adjust to society again. Perhaps what is needed is a whole town devoted to just that, rather than just a few houses in suburbia. If they can build huge prison complexes to hold criminals, maybe they can build a whole town to rehab them. | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/19/2008 1:52:19 PM | The idea of "reasonable doubt" exists so that someone, almost anyone, can bring this point to bear to a jury and win their freedom.
there was a case where a man robbed a liquor store. Caught on videotape...no doubt who it was, etc, etc. He had a credit card reciept form the same day, roughly the same time, from a place over 100 miles away. (The clerk had forgotten to change the date on the macjine...it wasn't all automatic back then!). This brought forth the "reasonable doubt", and this criminal got away...that time.
Well tough luck really, I would rather that guy go free and excape then an innocent person go through the shit this guy went through all for nothing, he should sue all their sorry asses from the jury, prosecution, judge, anyone that was involved in him being in jail for 26 years for no reason.
For this, I would have them all be his slaves for atleast 26 years.  | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/19/2008 2:02:19 PM | I still support the death penalty for anyone who's given a life sentence with no chance of parole. These stories do nothing to sway me on that.
I'm amazed more people who are anti-death penalty but gung ho about war activities aren't worried about that one little good civilian who gets hurt in the crossfire. | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/19/2008 4:23:58 PM | I just finished reading John Grisham's non-fiction, 'The Innocent Man', about Ron Williamson, about a young baseball player with big dreams who was wrongly convicted of murder and was sentenced to death along with his buddy, Dennis Fritz.
Although there was evidence and even a confession, the cops and lawyers were hell-bent that they had they right guys and these two came very close to dying for a crime they never committed. There were people, mostly jailhouse rats, who lied on the witness stand...the injustice was stacked high against these two men.
I still support the death penalty for anyone who's given a life sentence with no chance of parole.
Let's hope you or one of your loved ones is never in the wrong place at the wrong time. | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/19/2008 8:35:06 PM | This is where I am torn... When you hear of instances like this, I think... Death Penelty is not the answer. However, I had a friend who was murdered by a man who was serving a life sentance for killing somoene over a parking space who was let out on "good behavior", got lost in the system, came to Pennsylvania, raped and murdered at least 2 young women including my friend who still did not get justice because when they found her body 9 months later on New Years day was so decayed there was no DNA left. Never mind that he stole her car, her blood was in the trunk, he had her personal belongings, and her body was found in the woods near his family members in another county and she was murdered the same way as the person they could convict him of because her body was found the next day and DNA was still present. See, that is when I say, if that **stard was put down, then these amazing young women and God only knows if there were more would still be here today.
This subject is usually one that is mostly a perosnal one. I highly doubt at any time every person will have the same view on it. It is all based on your personal experiences. | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/22/2008 8:42:04 AM | I'm only assuming the case to be like many other cases of false accusation concerning rape. Has it occurred to anybody that this guy spent 26 years in jail, because some POS wrongfully (understatement) accused him of rape?
 False accusers of rape deserve to risk the exact same penalty for their crime against someone's liberty and good name. | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/22/2008 8:50:07 AM | I don't know where you get your information but, actual true studies show that states that have the death penalty actually have higher murder rates that the ones without. In other studies, it is shown that states taht enacted the death penalty saw no decrease in violent crims and most actually saw an increase.
If you are going to make a statement, at least take the time to check your so-called facts. | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/22/2008 10:42:39 AM | I guess it's a good thing that they don't execute people for rape anymore.
You would think states would wnat to avoid the constant embarrassment of having to release people wrongfully convicted and do a better job of prosecuting them correctly.
This is getting old.
And expensive. | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/22/2008 9:03:27 PM | | I would say oh well. He shouldn't have put him self in the predicament to get busted for that crime. So I am sure he wasn't some innocent that was plucked of the street. I work in the system and I know that it is very hard to get into the system, but once you do you it is even harder to get out. So 26 years later he was innocent of that crime but he did the time for a crime he didn't get caught for. So i don't feel sorry for him. | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/23/2008 2:48:15 PM |
I would say oh well. He shouldn't have put him self in the predicament to get busted for that crime. So I am sure he wasn't some innocent that was plucked of the street. I work in the system and I know that it is very hard to get into the system, but once you do you it is even harder to get out. So 26 years later he was innocent of that crime but he did the time for a crime he didn't get caught for. So i don't feel sorry for him.
Wait a minute, so you work in the system, and operate under the assumption that people are guilty of "something"
Hmmm I wonder why wrongful convictions like this come about? | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/23/2008 4:13:13 PM | I was thinking the exact same thing, Charles!
He may not have committed this crime, but we are certain he has committed others, so let's bust him anyway...because we know he is guilty...of something!
All I can say is WOW! | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/24/2008 11:11:26 AM | | So you would rather have a few locked up for something they didn't do just to make up for the ones who got away with something? You sir are a very scary guy. i wonder hwo you would feel if it was you or one of your familt that got locked up, then what would you think? | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/24/2008 11:47:36 AM |
I would say oh well. He shouldn't have put him self in the predicament to get busted for that crime.
So, your saying that if a store gets robbed, the perp is a white/hispanic/black male driving a late model red chevy and a totally innocent person coming home from work who happens to be a white/hispanic/black male driving a late model red chevy who passes the store every day and gets busted for the robbery has put himself in the predicament to get busted?
So I am sure he wasn't some innocent that was plucked of the street.
How can you be so sure?
I work in the system
And it seems it has hardened you to where you have no compassion...
So 26 years later he was innocent of that crime but he did the time for a crime he didn't get caught for.
With that kind of thinking, what say we don't just lock everyone up for a few years for any crimes they may have committed but didn't get caught doing.
90% of those convicts are right where they want to be
Yeah right...
If prosicutors wouldn't be in such a rush to get conviction numbers, because after all, it is a political position in most states, maybe they would play fair with the facts and not send innocent people to prison...
The Duke University rape case comes to mind... | |
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| Imprisoned 26 years, then found innocent
Posted: 2/24/2008 12:12:43 PM | well anyone who thinks our "justice" system works is fooling themselves, and for anyone who says "oh well,he probably commited a crime some other time" is simply evil and ignorant. now that being said does anyone here not know that america is the biggest police state in the world? america locks up more peopl than any other country in the world. every single day the smucks in washington make new and even dumber laws to lock even more of us up. and it wont stop until ALL of us are in jail, do you think the idiots in washington will just stop making stupid laws??? lmfao and well over half of all people in prison are there for nonviolent drug convictions. now prohibition of alcohol failed horribly.......why would anyone with half a brain think that drug prohibition would work any better??? i do find some hope thou, there is a group of brave and smart cops and DEA agents who started a group called L.E.A.P. (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) to educate people about how illegal the "drug war" is and how the drug war has been a horrible failure, how over a TRILLION.......yes a TRILLION of our tax dollars have been utterly wasted, millions of lives ruined over this failure.
for anyone who wants to hear what retired and current cops and DEA agents say about the "drug war" please visit their site and join them to end the "drug war" and stop filling our jails with non violent people. http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php  | |
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