The US Justice System Fails To Protect The Innocent
Since 1989, there have been 3,000 exonerations and 26,600 years of jail time
Justice is figuratively blind when it comes to pursuing charges against someone who has falsely accused another. In our justice system, we claim to uphold the “innocent until proven guilty” mantra but we know that holds no weight in court nor the court of public opinion.
Anyone wanting to hurt another, can easily go to the police and file a complaint stating they were assaulted, raped, or other heinous crimes. The police are supposed to investigate and gather evidence of that claim before deciding to press charges — but that is almost always not the case.
The police can take the claim to the prosecutor, who can decide to turn it over to the grand jury. The federal grand jury indicts 99% of the time, with or without proper evidence. According to an article published by the Harvard Law Review,
“the grand jury is no longer effectively shielding the accused from unjustified prosecution…”
Why?
Because the grand jury trusts the police and prosecutors over civilians and assumes they’ve done their due diligence of investigation if they turn over charges to them, the assumption is the case must be legitimate — wrong.
Last week, we saw that R&B singer, Chris Brown, was cleared of the accusations brought against him of the rape and drugging of a woman on a yacht parked outside of Diddy’s home. Brown luckily had text messages and voicemail evidence of the woman still contacting him, pleading with him to see her after she alleges he drugged and raped her.
The $20 million civil lawsuit has been dropped, but what if Chris Brown didn’t have evidence?
Besides a rape kit, “victims” never need to produce evidence to the police. Social media has amplified this message of “always believe the victim” due to what they say are statistics, but has anyone run the numbers on how many people have been falsely accused?
There are countless stories of people being charged, indicted, and jailed on false accusations, many of whom are still in jail today. Because they’re in jail, society automatically assumes the punishment fits the crime.
Oh, how soon do we forget
What Happens To The Accuser When Found To Have Lied?
Nothing. The accused can file a civil lawsuit but what happens to that person’s reputation and quality of life?
In Emmett Till’s case, the court of public opinion decided he was guilty of “winking” at a white woman and decided to charge him themselves to the death penalty. George Stinney Jr. was accused of murdering two girls.
We can say that it was a different time, but it’s not. Regardless of race, people lie all the time. Emmett’s accuser faced no consequences for her actions and most accusers still do not today.
Maybe they have their reasons, but no one should be subjected to a frivolous claim and investigation because someone else told a big fat, lie.
Since 1989, The National Registry of Exonerations has documented over 3,000 exonerations — a total of over 26,600 years spent in prison for a crime not committed.
The Innocence Project was founded in 1992 to help exonerate individuals through DNA testing. They’ve been successful in helping 193 people clear their names, having served a total of 3,670 years behind bars.
How do we prevent false accusations from making their way to the grand jury?
Police accountability — Police have to be held accountable for lack of proper investigation and gathering of evidence. Not only does the false accuser walk away with no consequences, but the police do as well. This has to change.
Prosecutor accountability — The prosecutor is essentially above the law. There are no checks and balances other than who people choose to vote for in the prosecutorial election. Most people don’t bother, and there’s usually no one running against them in some counties, like ours. This also has to change.
Parenting — People should teach their children from an early age NOT TO LIE!
Delete or Reform
Most energy is going toward exonerating people AFTER they’ve been convicted. We need to exonerate innocent people, but we also need to change the system currently in place that wrongfully accuses and convicts innocent people.
The jury system dates back to the 12th century in England. Can you believe we still use a system that is over 1,000 years old, as if life hasn’t evolved since that time? The jury system is outdated and needs to be deleted or reformed, and I mean ASAP!
No one should be in jeopardy of losing their freedom over hurt feelings. Laws have to be created to construct a more reliable legal system that people can trust. The only people who trust today’s legal system, are those on the side of authority, which is not why it was created.
