The Exonerated
These 37 men spent 525 years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit. Then came the hard part: freedom.
4 comments
Thursday, November 10th, 2011, 12:39 pm
Earl says:
False identification is one thing and happens all the time. What we need to be focused on now since we know about these identification errors is the bigger issue and that is: prosecutorial misconduct. The Darryl Hunt case in Winston-Salem, Nc is THE case in point. Hunt spent 10 additional years in prison after the DNA evidence showed he did not rape and murder white Debra Skyes. Lets move to make prosecutorial misconduct a crime. E. Smith Wake Forest University
Monday, June 6th, 2011, 2:13 pm
kathy says:
What hapooens to the ones that are in prison for false accusations? Because of a bad divorce and the woman wants the man to suffer severely by stating that he molested their daughters. Theres no evidence, no DNA, there wasn’t even a trial. She refused the counseling for her girls, all that just for her own selffishness. But an innocent man who adored his daughters will now be a sexual offender for the rest of his life and already has done 14.5 years of incarceration for something he is innocent of. The one who really should be there is the ex-wife, the DA and all that helpped in putting him in there.
Friday, October 31st, 2008, 11:30 am
Vicki McCuistion, Wimberley, TX says:
False identification AND prosecutorial misconduct seem to be the common denominators that created the problem. There is not much information on the quality of their defense which may also be questionable. Some might want to think the system works and this is why these men are now free. But largely it is due to the new Dallas DA , Craig Watkins, who has brought transparency and true justice to the prosecutor's office, reviewing past cases and discovering the innocent.
The old mantra of being tough on crime means nothing when you are locking up the wrong people. Seeking justice, getting convictions, and addressing crime, do not have to be mutually exclusive.
Every time a Texan votes for a DA based on their conviction record and rabid agressiveness towards "criminals" they contribute to this problem of convictions at all costs whether the defendant is guilty or not. We are not helping our society with wrongful convictions. Look at what we created in the lives of these 37 men and the many more who may not have the benefit of DNA testing.
It is past time for a statewide public defenders office and we should consider not electing our DA's or our Judges.
Thursday, October 23rd, 2008, 4:34 pm
Angel says:
These accounts are horrifying. False identification seems to be a common denominator between the majority of these cases. This is why we must be proponents for correcting the police lineup and witness identification processes. There is something very wrong in the State of Texas.
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