Fighting for the Wrongfully Convicted
I came across an interesting website today, The Innocence Project, which according to its website is a “national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.” The organization was founded in 1992 to help prisoners who could be proven innocent through DNA testing.
One of the most startling facts presented on the website is this one:
To date, 194 people in the United States have been exonerated by DNA testing, including 14 who served time on death row. These people served an average of 12 years in prison before exoneration and release.
In other words, 194 people since 1992 have been cleared of all charges and were proven to be innocent through the help of DNA testing. These people were innocent and wrongfully convicted, and had their lives nearly destroyed. If 194 cases have thus far been caught, then how many other innocent people are rotting away in jail having been convicted of a crime they did not commit?
The Innocence Project goes even further than just tossing out a bunch of numbers. Available on their website is a national view of exonerations across the United States. By mousing over each state, you can find out how many people have been cleared. Clicking on the state will provide you access to even more information, including the nitty gritty details of each of the individuals cleared - including their full names, pictures, case info, and more.
It really makes you think about the whole justice system here in the United States, how things aren’t always fair or perfect, and how the system can be abused and manipulated. And for those who believe in the death penalty, I hope that these figures at least give you cause to think about how you feel about that issue again.
April 10th, 2007 at 11:43 pm
Injustice is awful in our country and especially in the state of Oregon. We have judges that think the constitution is something to refer to only if they choose to. Did you know that holding court in secret without the defendant’s knowledge or consent is alive and well, it has happened twice in less than a year to one man. Perjury is condoned even when proven in court. The state laws are not of any importance in criminal cases since they are legislated from the bench. It is crazy. I have never in my life seen such things as I have seen in Oregon.
I have lived in other countries and prided myself on being an american because of our freedoms and the rights we have. I was so unaware of how justice could be so perverted in the U.S. and how there is no recourse when it is so perverted as in Oregon. Judges oversee themselves and judicial misconduct is decided by other judges. Even attorneys here will tell you don’t bother filing a complaint against a judge because the judicial committee will not do anything to them and it will only piss off the judge.
How would you like to be told you have to move because your criminal (known) drug dealing neighbor is a danger to you and your family and there is nothing anyone can do to protect you and the county officials tell you they are afraid for your safety if you stay in your home.
It is sad but when you are in an accident and disabled it is difficult to afford to eat let alone get an attorney when you are wrongfully convicted by a criminal that perjures himself to get a grand jury indictment then proceeds to perjure himself on the stand - proven at the time in court that he is perjuring himself. But the judge and prosecutor say it is okay that he perjured himself. All charges against the criminal are dropped and he is considered the victim because you try to defend yourself on your own property from his assault. The criminal stood to gain $20,000 by lying and had all his charges dropped to get you found guilty. Wow that is true justice don’t you think? Project Innocence doesn’t help in cases like these and believe me there is no one else that is able to help (we tried everyone) when you don’t have the money to pay and when you are an average citizen without press coverage to make the courts behave properly. What a sad state of affairs.
April 11th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Please visit this site.
http://www.justiceforkevin.org.
We would appreciate any assistance or promotion for the site you can offer. Thanks!