Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?

#121

Post by ClintEhrlich » Thu, Jun 30, 2016, 10:09 PM UTC

bcks wrote: post #83

Since 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.

Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?

#122

Post by bbcbasic » Thu, Jun 30, 2016, 10:15 PM UTC

developer2 wrote: post #118

I 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)

Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?

#123

Post by soyiuz » Thu, Jun 30, 2016, 10:17 PM UTC

Reach out to faculty at UCLA (and other unis/colleges in the area) who work on issues of incarceration. See for example the list of attendees/organizers at this conference: https://law.ucla.edu/centers/social-policy/critical-race-stu.... They often have slush funds to hire research assistants, guest speakers, etc.

Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?

#124

Post by ScottBurson » Thu, Jun 30, 2016, 10:21 PM UTC

wyldfire wrote: post #47

The letter itself: http://www.ehrlichfirm.com/jennings/Ray-Jennings-Letter-to-C...

I've read about halfway through it and I'm just appalled. They prosecuted Jennings for the sole reason that they had no idea how to find the actual killer. But someone had to pay, and Jennings was the least unlikely suspect that they actually knew how to find (though they had to wait for him to come home from serving in Iraq!).

This conviction is a black mark on the record of the great State of California. And it really shows the dangers of listening too closely to victims and their families, who are (understandably, in their pain) often much too quick to fixate on a suspect. Yes, they wanted justice for their daughter -- I get that. But true justice required finding the actual killer. Putting an innocent man in prison is not justice for anybody.

BTW I've chipped into the GoFundMe campaign.

Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?

#125

Post by jacquesm » Thu, Jun 30, 2016, 10:25 PM UTC

ClintEhrlich wrote: post #80

danso wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Goddamn that's scary that this man's exoneration depended on a chance viewing of Dateline...Props to you...my initial reaction to this post (I hadn't seen your other appeals to HN) were that this sounded too good to be true, but even the stories and accounts about Mr. Jennings that were pro-status-quo were alarmingly flimsy. I don't have faith that the justice system will naturally get things right, but I do have a g…

Sadly, this case has deeply shaken my confidence in the criminal-justice system.

What's really sad is that it took this long and what's even sadder is that there are many people who feel that it is working just fine.

Congratulations on your achievement though, that was really good of you and your dad to do.

Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?

#126

Post by zaidf » Thu, Jun 30, 2016, 10:26 PM UTC

Mz wrote: post #90

bayesian_horse wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depends. If he has a family who is now estranged, or trouble getting a job, a PR campaign may be beneficial. It's one thing to get acquitted in court, another thing to get others to believe you are innocent.

I don't think you know what you are talking about. If no one wants to hire a felon to do some kind of entry level job, how about a felon being followed around by the paparazzi (or otherwise very much in the public eye)? Does that sound better to an employer? I seriously doubt it.

A former felon with tons of press about his innocence is psychologically much less risky of a hire than a former felon without a ton of positive press(about perseverance, forgiveness, positive attitude etc.)

Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?

#127

Post by ClintEhrlich » Thu, Jun 30, 2016, 10:28 PM UTC

developer2 wrote: post #118

I 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…

If you are interested in learning about the case, I recommend reading the letter that my father and I sent to the District Attorney's office: http://www.ehrlichfirm.com/jennings/Ray-Jennings-Letter-to-C...

Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?

#128

Post by MrSouth » Thu, Jun 30, 2016, 10:31 PM UTC

Mz wrote: post #96

dandelany wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"trying to go this route without asking him" - who said anything about not asking him? Seems pretty obvious that this would be the implied first step.

I have spent 4.5 years homeless. Prior to that, I was an award winning student, and then a respected military wife and homeschooling mom. (Edit: Oh, yeah, I also worked for a Fortune 500 company for over 5 years.) Being homeless has given me loads of firsthand experience with how cavalier people are about completely disregarding the human dignity and agency of individuals they view as charity cases. So, I felt compel…

yes. to the op, did you find the line between what you want or think is reasonable to achieve vs. what the person wants? that's a great act of communication.

Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?

#129

Post by Mz » Thu, Jun 30, 2016, 10:33 PM UTC

zaidf wrote: post #126

Mz wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think you know what you are talking about. If no one wants to hire a felon to do some kind of entry level job, how about a felon being followed around by the paparazzi (or otherwise very much in the public eye)? Does that sound better to an employer? I seriously doubt it.

A former felon with tons of press about his innocence is psychologically much less risky of a hire than a former felon without a ton of positive press(about perseverance, forgiveness, positive attitude etc.)

A ton of positive press and publicity for the sake of making a buck are potentially at odds. Lurid stories tend to sell better than feel good ones.

If the goal is publicity to make a buck, that may well undermine him getting a normal job at all. It is entirely possible that (once you start down that path) the outcome will be that he has no real choice but to continue telling his lurid tale as the only means he has to put food on the table, like it or not.

Re: Ask HN: Just got an innocent man out of prison. What now?

#130

Post by rdl » Thu, Jun 30, 2016, 10:41 PM UTC

ClintEhrlich wrote: post #6

cbames89 wrote: post #4

What'd he do in the military? He may be able to leverage those skills for immediate employment.

He was an infantryman. Kicked down doors in Iraq going room-to-room searching for insurgents. Until the charges are formally dismissed, it's hard to imagine any employer will actually be willing to hire him. The DA's office is really making his life hard by refusing to just immediately stipulate that he's an innocent man.

I suspect you could probably convince smaller businesses to be ok on the background check, with disclosure. If I were hiring, I'd do it on his merits (Iraq vet makes up for the extra hassle with a background investigation, at least for me.)

(Also, fuck the DA. What is it with SoCal and horrible DAs?)