2 wrongfully convicted men freed after 43 years

[Yossarian]

This is one to remember next time somebody tries to defend the death penalty: 2 men in Jacksonville, Florida, have been freed after spending 43 years in prison for a murder they didn't commit.

One of the men was 18 when he went to prison and is now 61. He might be eligible for some compensation, but his uncle - who was 33 when he went to prison and is now 76 - won't get a penny because he has two prior convictions.

Florida men freed 43 years after wrongful murder conviction, a first for a Florida conviction review unit

 

[kalidarkone]

Link says no....but omg that's awful.....

 

[CRI]

That link doesn't work, but the story is here as well.

Florida men freed 43 years after wrongful murder conviction, a first for a Florida conviction review unit

Exoneration came to late for these 20 people, who were executed in Illinois.

Illinois Death Penalty Exonerations, Center on Wrongful Convictions: Bluhm Legal Clinic, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

It was actually group of journalism students working together on a project (which found there was no way one guy on death row could have commited the murder he was convicted of) that eventually led to the pro death penalty Illinois Governor commuting the death sentences of everyone still on death row, and later the abolition of the death penalty in Illinois. Something good about Illinois.

Journalism students' investigation leads to freeing man on death row | CBC News

 

[Yossarian]

Link says no....but omg that's awful.....

Oops, link worked for me - are you getting a "Not available in the European Union" message?"

 

[Calamity1971]

Oops, link worked for me - are you getting a "Not available in the European Union" message?"

Error code 16
This request was blocked by the security rules

 

[Yossarian]

Error code 16
This request was blocked by the security rules

Weird - story is the same one that CRI linked to so I'll replace the link with that one.

 

[StoneRoad]

Exactly why I will always oppose the death penalty.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Exactly why I will always oppose the death penalty.

Same for me - the risk of executing someone who is innocent is simply a risk too great to accept. Leaving aside that it's no use as a deterrent, and reduces society to the level of vengeance.

I read something fairly recently about the psychological impact of death row vs life imprisonment on the families of murder victims. The endless appeals over decades on death row made them experience higher levels of trauma through lack of closure.

 

[Pickman's model]

Perhaps we might just reserve the death penalty for crimes which are carried out in public and well documented like waging aggressive war, don't suppose there's much doubt over the guilt of people like Bush and Blair