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Reply to "another one dodged the bullet"

zippadeedoodah posted:
Just like with OJ, right, SittinPurdy?

As far as the statistics on the people DNA evidence has cleared after having spent years in prison, have YOU seen them? I kinda doubt it, or you'd realize it's not very many. And usually those cases are not the result of overzealous police; rather, someone lied or the defendant convicted himself with his mouth.

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Not very many DNA cases?  You certainly need to reconsider that conclusion. I got your STATISTICS right here. Check out all the DNA-associated exonerations on this lengthy list (link below) of persons exonerated for various reasons in the U.S., prepared by the University of Michigan Law School. It will resolve any doubts you have.

As to defendants lying, you should understand that often such "lies" are false confessions ("FC" on the chart provided) extorted from indigent and innocent defendants who are told that if they confess to a lesser crime, they can be plea-bargained to a shorter sentence, but otherwise would face stiffer penalties, in some cases a death sentence.  Another active practice in our criminal injustice system!.

It is also interesting to note just how many exonerations were in cases that involved OFFICIAL MISCONDUCT or FALSE or  MISLEADING FORENSIC EVIDENCE. Check out list I have provided.  Often false convictions are the result of over-zealous prosecutors working hard, but not ethically, to keep their box scores on convictions looking good so that in the next election they can brag about how many convictions they have achieved.

This list might be a big surprise to some folks, but it is a reality that we live with, like it or not and we ought to be very uncomfortable with it:

http://www.law.umich.edu/speci...ages/detaillist.aspx


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