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Innocent people held in prison

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  • Innocent people held in prison

    Report here has it that Kevin Strickland was 18 years old when he was arrested for a triple homicide, a crime he did not commit.

    In September 2020 the Kansas City Star ran a series that cast doubt on Strickland’s guilt. This prompted local prosecutors to review the evidence, and in April 2021 they declared him “factually innocent”. Republican Governor Mike Parson, the only person with authority to release him, did not do so.

    On August 28, 2021 Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker filed for a new evidentiary hearing under a fresh Missouri law designed to address wrongful convictions. Even then Missouri’s Republican Attorney-General Eric Schmitt fought Strickland’s release.

    Strickland was released earlier this week. He is now 62 years old. His mother died in August, with his potential release still pending. Governor Parson refused permission for Strickland to attend his mother’s funeral.


    I wonder (assuming that this report is factual) whether there is cause to believe that Schmitt and Parson are fit for public office.

    The report continues

    Strickland is among more than 100 prisoners whose convictions have been overturned in 2021. Almost 2900 prisoners have been cleared since DNA evidence first reversed a conviction in 1989. Half of these innocent people were Black, 133 exonerees were death row inmates. Wrongful convictions are estimated to occur in 2% - 10% of cases. 2.1 million people are imprisoned in America.


    If those estimates are valid, at least 21,000 innocent people are incarcerated in American prisons, maybe as many as 210,000.





    1Cor 15:34 Come to your senses as you ought and stop sinning; for I say to your shame, there are some who know not God.
    .
    ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛
    Scripture before Tradition:
    but that won't prevent others from
    taking it upon themselves to deprive you
    of the right to call yourself Christian.

    ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛

  • #2
    I am all in for prison reform. Not the nutty "get rid of prisons" that the left is pushing, but much more due diligence in long term incarcerations.
    The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
      I am all in for prison reform. Not the nutty "get rid of prisons" that the left is pushing, but much more due diligence in long term incarcerations.
      Maybe introduce a law that if a police officer is found to have falsified evidence, he gets to do the time that his victim got or would have gotten. Better yet, the maximum penalty (other than death) applicable to the crime in question.
      1Cor 15:34 Come to your senses as you ought and stop sinning; for I say to your shame, there are some who know not God.
      .
      ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛
      Scripture before Tradition:
      but that won't prevent others from
      taking it upon themselves to deprive you
      of the right to call yourself Christian.

      ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by tabibito View Post
        Report here has it that Kevin Strickland was 18 years old when he was arrested for a triple homicide, a crime he did not commit.

        In September 2020 the Kansas City Star ran a series that cast doubt on Strickland’s guilt. This prompted local prosecutors to review the evidence, and in April 2021 they declared him “factually innocent”. Republican Governor Mike Parson, the only person with authority to release him, did not do so.

        On August 28, 2021 Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker filed for a new evidentiary hearing under a fresh Missouri law designed to address wrongful convictions. Even then Missouri’s Republican Attorney-General Eric Schmitt fought Strickland’s release.

        Strickland was released earlier this week. He is now 62 years old. His mother died in August, with his potential release still pending. Governor Parson refused permission for Strickland to attend his mother’s funeral.


        I wonder (assuming that this report is factual) whether there is cause to believe that Schmitt and Parson are fit for public office.

        The report continues


        Strickland is among more than 100 prisoners whose convictions have been overturned in 2021. Almost 2900 prisoners have been cleared since DNA evidence first reversed a conviction in 1989. Half of these innocent people were Black, 133 exonerees were death row inmates. Wrongful convictions are estimated to occur in 2% - 10% of cases. 2.1 million people are imprisoned in America.




        If those estimates are valid, at least 21,000 innocent people are incarcerated in American prisons, maybe as many as 210,000.





        This sort of story is one of several reasons I will never, ever, be in favor of the state having the ability to use the death penalty (I'm also against life sentences in many cases, unless someone continues over their time in prison to show an inability or unwillingness to rehabilitate, etc.). The US needs major prison reform, preferably a shift toward the Scandinavian system.

        EDIT: there are also serious issues within the justice system itself with reliance on demonstrably poor science like 'lie detectors', 'hair analysis', 'handwriting analysis', 'bitemark/dental' analysis, and yes, fingerprint 'science'.
        Last edited by Gondwanaland; 11-27-2021, 10:30 AM.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Gondwanaland View Post

          This sort of story is one of several reasons I will never, ever, be in favor of the state having the ability to use the death penalty (I'm also against life sentences in many cases, unless someone continues over their time in prison to show an inability or unwillingness to rehabilitate, etc.). The US needs major prison reform, preferably a shift toward the Scandinavian system.
          One thing seems relatively certain - it isn't race based, for all that as many black get "fitted up" as white, which on the face of it would indicate a significant bias against black. The percentages actually accord with confirmed crime statistics.
          1Cor 15:34 Come to your senses as you ought and stop sinning; for I say to your shame, there are some who know not God.
          .
          ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛
          Scripture before Tradition:
          but that won't prevent others from
          taking it upon themselves to deprive you
          of the right to call yourself Christian.

          ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛

          Comment


          • #6
            Parson is criminally unfit for office. He unilaterally set aside campaign finance ethics reforms passed by a state referendum and tried to make it impossible for future referendums to get on the ballot. He shortchanged the two major (liberal) urban areas in the state early in the vaccination portion of the pandemic whereas a number of small towns had more vaccines than residents in town. He has recently been threatening a reporter with prison for trying to quietly inform the state government of a major website security flaw and grandstanding about how he wants this "hacker" to do time. Then there's this.
            "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

            Comment


            • #7
              Parson took over as Governor when the previous governor had to resign after a bizarre sex scandal that could have led to him facing criminal charges. Yet I still think that man was the more moral leader because he was willing to stop an execution with hours to go when credible evidence of possible innocence came up. Parson never would have stopped it.
              "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

              Comment


              • #8
                There have always been those falsely imprisoned (look at Paul and Silas), but every effort should be made to exonerate the innocent and free those wrongfully convicted. All too often we find people confusing the latter with being "soft on crime."

                I'm always still in trouble again

                "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                  There have always been those falsely imprisoned (look at Paul and Silas), but every effort should be made to exonerate the innocent and free those wrongfully convicted. All too often we find people confusing the latter with being "soft on crime."
                  The same Scottish police instructor I love to quote from my basic training said "I would rather a guilty man go free for lack of proof than an innocent man be imprisoned because of shoddy police work". That was really bold back in my day.

                  But it's like the whole Rittenhouse thing -- the prosecutor's "client" is JUSTICE, not his own "wins and losses" stats.
                  The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post

                    The same Scottish police instructor I love to quote from my basic training said "I would rather a guilty man go free for lack of proof than an innocent man be imprisoned because of shoddy police work". That was really bold back in my day.

                    But it's like the whole Rittenhouse thing -- the prosecutor's "client" is JUSTICE, not his own "wins and losses" stats.
                    Can't remember who it is attributed to and to paraphrase "It is better to let ten guilty men go free than lock up one innocent man." FWIU, that dates back to the day if not the day before.

                    I'm always still in trouble again

                    "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                    "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                    "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                      Can't remember who it is attributed to and to paraphrase "It is better to let ten guilty men go free than lock up one innocent man." FWIU, that dates back to the day if not the day before.
                      William Blackstone back in the mid 1700s, but similar sentiments long predate him.
                      1Cor 15:34 Come to your senses as you ought and stop sinning; for I say to your shame, there are some who know not God.
                      .
                      ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛
                      Scripture before Tradition:
                      but that won't prevent others from
                      taking it upon themselves to deprive you
                      of the right to call yourself Christian.

                      ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by tabibito View Post

                        William Blackstone back in the mid 1700s, but similar sentiments long predate him.
                        Yeah, now that you mention it, that's who my favorite police instructor was quoting.
                        The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by tabibito View Post

                          Maybe introduce a law that if a police officer is found to have falsified evidence, he gets to do the time that his victim got or would have gotten. Better yet, the maximum penalty (other than death) applicable to the crime in question.
                          I'm all for this 100%. And I think it should be a capital offense. That goes for police officers, prosecutors and witnesses. The only reason I hesitantly oppose the death penalty is because of a corrupt system. This would correct that problem.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Kevin Strickland gets zero state compensation. Does that seem fair to you? Stupid law limits compensation to those cleared by dna evidence.
                            “I think God, in creating man, somewhat overestimated his ability.” ― Oscar Wilde
                            “And if there were a God, I think it very unlikely that He would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence” ― Bertrand Russell
                            “not all there” - you know who you are

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by firstfloor View Post
                              Kevin Strickland gets zero state compensation. Does that seem fair to you? Stupid law limits compensation to those cleared by dna evidence.
                              I don't see anyone here disagreeing with you. Perhaps you could refer it to BLMs attention, so that they have the opportunity to take up a legitimate cause for once. But I note that people who are interested in his plight have collectively contributed 1.4 million dollars to the man in recognition of the wrongs done to him. Did you add to that sum, or are you content to just sit back and make noise about it?

                              The Midwest Innocence Project sets up fundraisers when cases lead to exoneration, and to which you can make a donation.
                              Last edited by tabibito; 11-28-2021, 05:44 AM.
                              1Cor 15:34 Come to your senses as you ought and stop sinning; for I say to your shame, there are some who know not God.
                              .
                              ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛
                              Scripture before Tradition:
                              but that won't prevent others from
                              taking it upon themselves to deprive you
                              of the right to call yourself Christian.

                              ⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛⊛

                              Comment

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