I assume you will be going into criminal defense law once you pass the bar? Seems like it would be a waste for you to do anything else.
Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?
131–140 of 220 posts
Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?
#132I know this is off topic to the direct question at hand but his case, assuming the talking points found on this page I found[1] are true, is scary. No evidence whatsoever, including fingernail DNA that excluded him? What the actual fuck. >> Mr. Jennings voluntarily submitted to hours of police interviews and interrogations and a polygraph test without objection or legal representation. >> The evidence presented again…
Can a plea conviction be appealed / overturned? I admit my law knowledge is from watching Law & Order. :-). But "Lawyer-up" is the take home from that show (and by that token kids - ask for a lawyer not your mum or dad. you don't need a cuddle you need legal help)
It can if you can show you were coerced, but most likely not.
Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?
#133Before I moved away recently, I had dinner pretty regularly with the guys at Dismas House Nashville (dismas.org), which provides transitional housing for former offenders. They do a great job helping people get back on their feet with housing, jobs, etc. I don't know if they can help directly, but if Ray has roots in North Carolina perhaps the staff there (I've worked with Davey and Scott) know people in the southeast region who could help.
Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?
#134Since you're in Los Angeles, you might try reaching out to Homeboy Industries: http://www.homeboyindustries.org/ They specialize in helping get folks back on their feet with job training. They have a bakery program, a line of salsa, solar panel installation training, etc. They hire ex-gang and previously incarcerated men and women. Disclosure: I have enjoyed the salsa.
I'm a big fan of Homeboy Industries, so I appreciate the suggestion. But I don't think it's fair to put Ray into a program for ex-gang members. Ray is a clean-cut, straight-arrow kind of guy, so it's been very hard for him to spend the last 11 years of his life surrounded by actual criminals. He really wants to become just another person — not an ex-con.
As you can see from the website, it's not just for ex-gang members but also for previously incarcerated men and women looking for job training and a leg up.
Perhaps Ray could decide for himself once your GoFundMe funds run out.
Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?
#135Talk to the St Vincent de Paul society [1]. It's part of the Catholic Church, but they are there to serve everyone, regardless of religious beliefs, and won't pass judgement or bang on about their own religious beliefs. Helping people in Ray's situation is what they do every day, with material assistance, counseling or any other need. Even if Ray doesn't want direct assistance, he may get some useful advice by chatting to them. No need to walk into a church. Just walk into any of their shops and ask to talk to someone, or Ray can call them and they will discretely come to him.
Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?
#136First of all you should take pride in what you have done already. You've gone way beyond what most of your fellow country men will ever do. While I understand, you're doing the wrong thing by focusing on this single individual. Since this guy is someone you have gotten to know, you have an emotional tie that is making you blind to the cold hard truth. This happens to someone everyday. - Parents have a falling out wit…
Yeah, if our system puts innocent people away they should reimburse them for that severe fuck up. Maybe focus on changing that law, for the big picture.
Such laws vary by state: http://www.innocenceproject.org/compensating-wrongly-convict...
Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?
#137I know this is off topic to the direct question at hand but his case, assuming the talking points found on this page I found[1] are true, is scary. No evidence whatsoever, including fingernail DNA that excluded him? What the actual fuck. >> Mr. Jennings voluntarily submitted to hours of police interviews and interrogations and a polygraph test without objection or legal representation. >> The evidence presented again…
A while back I made an easy-to-remember Bitly link for a YouTube video of a law school lecture featuring a law professor and his criminal investigator (police-side) friend that totally backs up your point.
Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?
#138This is fantastic! It's a shame to lose eleven years of your life, but it's inspiring that a citizen was willing to put in the effort to clear his name.
Outside of the immediate help, it'd be great for Dateline to do a follow up story documenting your efforts.
Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?
#139Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sadly, this case has deeply shaken my confidence in the criminal-justice system.
"(T)his is a court of law and not a court of justice." - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (Associate Justice for the United States Supreme Court)
In Holmes' defense, the job of a Supreme Court justice is to establish common law precedent for the future, not to get the right decision for the case at hand.
So, for instance, if an illegal search turns up clear evidence that a company is evading taxes, justice for the case at hand says that the company should be punished. But the principle of law says that precedent must be set that the police can't violate the 4th amendment.
This is not a hypothetical example. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverthorne_Lumber_Co._v._Uni....
Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?
#140Apologies if you already thought of the following:
Post it on Reddit and also see if CNN will pick up your story. I have seen CNN post stories involving GoFundMe campaigns related to good/human interest stories in the past and those campaigns got a good boost. Plus, the folks on Reddit also always love to support a good story.
If Mr. Jennings does decide to open up in the future, maybe even try to get an "IAmA wrongly convicted man" story published where Reddit can interview him? That would be an interesting raising awareness attempt.
With regards to Reddit, you might try reaching out to Alexis Ohanian via Twitter or other channels to see if he has any suggestions.
P.S. Go Claremont :) Used to live there.