An Innocence Industry has developed, employing an army of attorneys to prevent future wrongful convictions while hundreds, if not thousands, of innocents nationwide face dying of old age behind bars.
There are over 5,000 criminal investigations that were clouded by the use of discredited dog handlers, debunked bullet lead analysis and defeated fire forensics. Then there’s The Innocence Project’s stats, indicating that 25% of their DNA exonerated clients confessed falsely, many by coercion. And in 75% of their exonerations (some overlapping with false confessions), eyewitness misidentification played a role. And that’s not all.
There was skullduggery, police and prosecutorial. Withheld evidence, witness intimidation, coached informants, etc. How did they dare?
Civil Immunities … many constructed in nonsensical case law. Prosecutors are immune from prosecution on the flawed premise that the Bar self-polices, which they don’t. If they did, fines or suspension or disbarment would be inadequate punishment for framing an innocent.
The army of attorneys know that federal legislation can make those immunities go away; they know that the FBI is mandated to investigate public corruption that affects trial outcomes, with the DOJ prosecuting.
But the Innocence Industry didn’t ask Congress for legislation to get rid of immunities, and they didn’t ask the FBI for investigations of the pockets of corruption revealed by exonerations.
The press should be asking the Innocence Industry – point blank – if they’re more interested in self-perpetuation than justice. Instead, a few puzzled activists are asking. And we’re asking the press why they wouldn’t ask the obvious question. It’s a war of words, thank goodness; I’m too physically damaged for much else. And thankfully, there are words available that are far more compelling than mine …
“Democracies die behind closed doors. The First Amendment, through a free press, protects the people’s right to know that their government acts fairly, lawfully, and accurately.” Judge Damon Keith, U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
I read you article on Gary Bennett and I agree the system has to wake up my son is now in NWFRC Chipley Fl since Thanksgiving has lost 26lbs is in pain now has to borrow a wheelchair from another inmate to get around, he cant get to eat because he can’t walk there, so buys food from the comissionary, he was suppose to work but cannot due to his illness, they tell him that he will see a doctor in six weeks, has had blood work done will not see him to discuss results he called me up crying saying he doesn’t want to die here, everyone has comment about how bad he looks my son has tourettes syndrome, RA and thryoid condition, he went to emergency call they turned him down said no one dies from pain. As a mother my heart is breaking no control of the situation my fear he dies there
I’m so sorry for what your son is going through, Patricia. Please check you email for a message from me with the Subject line “Your son in Chipley.”
Update 1/5/12 – Patricia was able to make some headway yesterday in securing appropriate care for her son … here’s hoping that the remainder of her concerns will be addressed immediately.
I am contacting you for the comment you made about Robert Waterhouse. He murdered my sister in 1980, and I believe that he needs to die. It tore our family apart, and you want him to go on with his life? My sister Debbie didn’t get to go on with her life, did she? I’m so glad the time has come for him to die, It will make me happy! He is one sick person.
Your commenting in “About Susan Chandler” instead of on the post “Despite clouded conviction, Robert Waterhouse is scheduled to die,” strikes me as odd. I will respond to you assuming that you are whom you say you are, despite having no way to verify it.
“He is one sick person,” you wrote. Murderers are indeed sick; our skin is so thin and our structure so fragile that murder (except in self-defense) is too easy to be anything but a cowardly act, especially the most premeditated murder of all – execution. I am sorry for your loss, and even sorrier that you’ve apparently wasted most of your life focused on a false sense of entitlement that society owes you vengeance rather than justice.
It is almost to the point of being annoying when someone ask me, did you contact the innocent project, or this organization or this agency, have you tried ….. 1 2 3… Yes Yes Yes and yes yes yes yes yes yes also, Turned away for reasons that don’t apply to another mother’s child. Ignored by this one and that one and them over there too. Ask let me see what you have, and upon looking at just some of the Exculpatory Evidence I give them… either I’m told, oh we are concentrating on this other issue, or this is our agenda at the moment and or course the silent treatment…. Wow, imagine if all the persons and incidents decribed in your blog post above, were to have a Nancy Grace and Jessie Jackson SHOUT OUT, other persons shouting out will do, but hey…. WE CANNOT HEAR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and still My HOPE REMAINS. 4brycesbattle
It’s difficult, but we must remain patient with the misinformed … it is not their fault that our malignant mainstream lets politicians lie about the US having the best justice system in the world (best healthcare system in the world, best education system in the world, etc.).
As more and more ordinary Americans grasp that they cannot expect anything but drudgery and poverty with indefinite detention without charge (or assassination) the consequence to speaking out about our stolen prosperity, we can count on increasingly being heard when we speak quietly about false convictions, with no need for a shout out.
The brilliant and defiant know how to counteract media misinformation and circumvent the spying that the likes of Facebook and Google willingly facilitate. Hope remains.