These Types of Articles Bother Me
An article recently appeared on the Daily Kos titled "How Do You Compensate 27 Years of Unjust Imprisonment?". In the article, the author describes how a man was "wrongfully imprisoned". The person in question was acquitted after modern DNA tests proved he was not the culprit. These tests, however, were not available at the time the crime was committed.
How does this get misconstrued into "unjust" or "wrongful" imprisonment. The legal system did the best it could with what it had. The jurors made a decision based on what was presented.
Were there facts that were withheld from the trial? No. Were there machinations by the legal system to imprison someone they knew to be innocent? No. Were the jurors united in their attempt to subvert the law and imprison an innocent man? No.
This man was not "wrongly" or "unjustly" imprisoned. He was given a proper sentence for the crime those who tried and sentenced him believed he committed. The fact that he was later found to be innocent by methods unavailable at the time does not mean the folks back then made a mistake. It means that through the logical presentation of the evidence available, this gent looked to be the most probable culprit.
He obviously didn't have an alibi. He obviously couldn't prove (using any method available at the time) that he hadn't done what they suspected he had done. And there was evidently enough evidence (be it circumstantial or whatever) to convince the jury he was guilty.
This isn't wrongful or unjust. This is the way our system is SUPPOSED to work. It isn't perfect and yes, mistakes are made. But to imply that the fellow somehow shouldn't have been imprisoned based on what the investigators, judge and jury had to work with at the time is just plain stupid.
I am glad the man was vindicated. But I am also glad that our justice system is in place. When honest mistakes are made, it isn't unjust or wrongful, it is simply people trying to the best they can with what they have. We aren't perfect folks.
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