Have you ever thought about the fact someone can be innocent? Can be in prison, convicted for just being there in the wrong place at the wrong time?
This is not a joke and do not think this will never happen to you! It happens everywhere in the world and it has nothing to do with a corrupt system. It all has to do with alibis, witnesses, police officers/detectives and court all taking quick conclusions and being eager to close the case as soon as possible. Simply because it feels great to solve a case and blame and punish someone for it.
A Dutch dad was convicted (his wife and brother also) of sexual abuse of his two daughters. To the neighbours their opinion that was the reason why those two daughters forced their children into sex games. After been convicted and being in jail for 15 years the daughters admitted it was all lied. Nobody cared about the possibility those two girls might lie and the parent might be innocent. They simply jumped into that conclusion.
Alibi
An alibi is seldom seen/accepted as one and therefor frequently ignored.
Witnesses
Hard to find and hard to believe. Also hard to believe since frequently they see what they think they saw.
Our brains make a quick decision for us. For example: we see a cab, we see a guy be beaten up next to it. We see someone step into the cab and drive away... so who did beat up the guy?
Police
The police officer, investigator/detective is a human being. A human being with a lack of time, interest and who knows even skills as well (at least this was the result of Dutch PhD research by Ricardo Nieuwkamp where 600 detectives and 600 common people had to tell which alibis were false and which were real. The detectives turned out to be as "good" in it as anyone else. I can tell you that was bad!
Court
Court does not care. They seldom investigate or questioning "facts".
This means about 68% of the convicted people in the USA is innocent and about 40% of them in the Netherlands (who knows even more). I expect it to be no different in the rest of the world.
Is there something we can do about it? To prevent innocent people to be convicted? To prevent, sooner or later, we will be in exactly the same position?
I have doubts about that, but it might help if we do not jump into conclusions that fast. Are aware about the fact our brain is able to fool us and if we are not the first to make that certain phone call.
Cold case, NCIS or Miami Vice is not for real. Especially not if it comes to you and me, the ones without a fat bank account. The only thing for real is that if you make that first phone call you will be the prime suspect.
The picture is made by an inmate I met via writeAprisoner.com