Everyone knows that there are issues with the American
justice system and there is no way to completely get rid of those flaws.
Mistakes happen sometimes, but it should not take two decades to figure out and
correct such mistakes. The documentary I watched was After Innocence. the film
was about how the lives of several different men were ruined when they were
found guilty for a crime they did not commit. Their lives were taken from them.
For some they had been in prison longer than out. That is not acceptable.
"It is finally over, it has been 19 years."
A couple of things that surprised me throughout the film
were simply the number of people that this horrible mistake impacts. Not even
just those who are put into prison, but their family, their friends, their
entire life. I was also in utter shock that it takes nearly two decades in some
cases to figure out that a mistake had been made. If they had spoken to one
more witness, had a better lawyer, tested the DNA sooner, or even just spent an
extra hour reviewing the case the outcome could have been drastically
different. A life could have been spared.
Even though the film accurately portrayed the situations
these men were in there were still a few problematic things I would like to
address. First, the fact that the government could care less about what happens
to the people they exonerate. I would compare the way the government treats
these people to a hit and run. they come in, ruin lives, admit they were wrong,
and then disappear offering no compensation whatsoever. I would like to see
what happens as that plays out. Also, there is never an explanation of the
alleged crimes. Personally, that would have made the documentary more
interesting. The last thing that could be problematic is that the feelings of
those who were in prison and lost a major portion of their life are skimmed
over and their stories are left incomplete. What were their futures like? How
did they live after getting out? One of the men in the film speaks a little
about how prison changes you. That would also be an interesting topic to hear
more about.
As I sat down to watch the documentary I figured I would
just power through it and push through reflection and call it a day, but as the
movie progressed I got increasingly interested in it. The most emotional scene
for me was when the prosecutor on Wilton's case wouldn't bring the case back to
court because he was trying to cover up the mistakes he had previously made. He
didn't care that there was a man’s life on the line, the most important thing
to him was that his reputation didn't go down the toilet. Also, the fact that
mis-identification was the single leading cause of wrongful imprisonment in the
united states. It kind of made me angry to think about all the people that end
up behind bars or must stay there because people do not want to admit their
mistakes or cannot remember the details of a person’s face. That leaves so many
actual criminals out of jail and free to commit the same crime repeatedly. That
I think is the worst thing about putting the wrong person in jail, you not only
waste a person’s life but you also let the actual criminals get away.
There will never be a complete fix to the American justice
system. mistakes do happen sometimes, but they should never reach the extent
that this one has. This documentary clearly explains the problems that we have
today and that they won’t get better unless we do something. So, that is what
we have to do. It isn’t fair to everyone who is wronged by the system. it never
will be. there shouldn’t have to be an "After Innocence."
