Posted on 11/24/2016 11:46:23 AM PST by Timpanagos1
Texas’ highest criminal court on Wednesday exonerated four San Antonio women who spent almost 15 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of sexually assaulting two girls, opening the door for the women to seek potentially millions of dollars in state compensation.
(Excerpt) Read more at statesman.com ...
Jeez, after 15 years in prison, nobody’s innocent.
They will get paid by the state, perhaps millions, but not nearly enough to make up for the time they were in prison.
The women were convicted in 1998, after two of Ramirez’s nieces, ages 7 and 9, accused them of holding them by the wrists and ankles, sexually assaulting and threatening to kill them in 1994. One of the nieces later recanted, saying another family member threatened her into making the statements.
If it were me i’d probably go back to jail for murder. Although, i am not sure why I am in a women’s prison?
Sometimes the prosecutorial imperative seem to be to “just get somebody, so we have a body to parade before the masses” rather than “OK, we just had a heinous crime, now whodunit.”
And the legal methods of dealing with this are cumbersome at best.
It might be better to send “nobody” to prison than get involved in a situation where it is quite likely a scapegoat will get punished. By all means separate children like this from households where abuses have happened (and put them in homes where the 2nd Amendment is honored, to make it perfectly clear they will be well guarded from any future assault). But sometimes the mess may be so bad only God really knows whodunit. In the Old Testament, nobody could be put to death except by testimony of 2 or 3 witnesses (who then were required to throw the first stones).
there is a certain tantalizing aspect about convicting women for any kind of sex crime...especially if they’re good looking and young...I’m sure many a DA gets his jollies from it....
I love your OT reference to this. I am all for punishment, and believe capital punishment is underutilized. In situations such as these, those casting the first stones would be soul searching if they had good souls before casting those stones but better to protect our innocent than jumping to false conclusions.
Possibly, possibly.
I think we rightfully hate the evil stepmother figure of popular lore, too. She was supposed to be nurturing but instead she steeps the family (especially those who are not hers) in hostility.
Underpossibilitied rather than underutilized, perhaps. The RIGHT executions, carried out the RIGHT way, may mean more than MORE executions.
Prison as we know it in modern times was envisioned as a “penitent”-iary, even more than a payment for crime in and of itself. This can work with an explicitly Christian spiritual underpinning, and sometimes not even require highly extended stays. Spiritually sensitive pastoral guidance is needed to determine (and encourage) sincerity. It seems to me virtually a lost art, without the zeitgeist being Christian.
If the state didn’t do anything illegal or unethical in prosecuting the case, why should the state be liable for anything? How about suing the jurors instead? It was their decision.
If you’re Joe Blow a child abuse charge will get you 20 years lickety-split.
if you’re a DC kingmaker, you’ll get zero years and the entire media will rise up to squash the Scandal.
Anyone who has ever had to deal with “The System”, knows that it sucks, and is imperfect. One reason that I oppose capital punishment.
I followed the story and never thought they were guilty
Ridiculous. It should be at least $1 million per year, if not much more.
Taking an innocent person's freedom, the best years of their life from them? Nothing could be more heinous...
Many people would go to jail for a year for a hundred thousand dollars. Almost no one would go to prison for twenty years for two million.
Women sent to prison that long lose their chance to have children.
Why should I, as a taxpayer, pay because someone decides to change their story years later. For all we know, the key witness is going to be cut in for a share of the money for the new story.
The only known fact is that a witness lied. We just don't know WHEN she lied.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.