Yes, Truth And Innocence Matter

It still remains a fundamental value determination of our society, that it is far worse to convict an innocent person than let a guilty person go free. The pursuit of justice is not a game. The United States Constitution requires that criminal defendants be provided with a fair trial, not merely a show of gamesmanship between defense attorneys and district attorneys.

After a crime is committed, the police are supposed to conduct a through investigation and arrest the culprit. The district attorney prosecutes, juries are entrusted with deciding guilt, and judges hand out sentences. Justice should correctly assign responsability for the charged crime and bring retribution to the culprit, consolation to the victimS, and safety and peace of mind to society. However, American society is obsessed with winning. This obsession may have value in the realm of sports, but has no real place in any criminal justice proceedings. Yet, to a vast number of prosecutors, as those involved in my case, winning is everything.

At most, truth, innocence, and justice, are dreaded and inconvenient afterthoughts. I, like so many other current and former prisoners with claims of innocence, have had to learn this reality the hard way. When the presiding judges lack partiality and allow their personal prejudices to come into play, this only exacerbates an already unfair and unconstitutional situation. (SEE: http://www.angelfire.com/crazy4/texas/lawbreakslaw.html)[in bold]

Prosecuting the innocent destroys more than human souls. It destroys the wrongfully convicted, their children, families and friendships once shared. It also undermines the integrity, fairness and the public trust in our judicial system. A system which we have come to believe is the best in the world. The unrelenting desire of prosecutors (and police) to win - regardless of the truth, facts and evidence [in bold]- kills the basic democratic rights supposedly inherent in the American system of justice. When the true determination process and fairness of our system of justice prove to be no more than a mirage, accountability falls to dogged outsiders and conscientious insiders who believe that truth and innocence really do matter.

SEE: http://americaswrongfullyconvicted.com/
http://www.angelfire.com/crazy4/texas/fakedrugsfakevictims.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wYaOsCVRCI
http://www.angelfire.com/crazy4/texas/cathyhawkins.html
http://www.angelfire.com/crazy4/texas/craigwatkins.html