In the news recently there have been a number of cases where people have been wrongly convicted. These will take time to have all the details explained and enquiries over prosecutorial adventurism.
Therefore I am looking at situations of some time ago. Some years ago Anthony Ray Hinton walked free after 30 years on death row for a double murder he did not commit. According to the US Death Penalty Information Centre, Mr Hinton was the 152nd person on death row to be cleared since 1973 and the second to be exonerated in 2015.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-04/us-man-walks-free-after-30-years-on-death-row/6370942
In Anthony Ray Hinton's situation, Chief attorney Bryan Stevenson said Mr Hinton, who is black, was wrongly convicted in part because the colour of his skin. Moreover, he noted race, poverty, inadequate legal assistance, and prosecutorial indifference to innocence conspired to create a textbook example of injustice.
Like this case, it appears as though technical gun casing checks were not done to the expected standard, certainly today, and for most cases, the use of DNA tests have illustrated person/s were not involved. To put a phrase on it, they were sent down by kangaroo courts.
The reasons for such outcomes are myriad, such as additional information wasn't available through lack of scientific testing, along with poor representation, bad judicial procedures, poverty of education and legal expertise witnessed inevitable send down's - those that should have done their job's properly didn't and a sense of the an assumption of guilt simply because it's got that far.
These people, like Anthony Ray Hinton, after years and years and years of failed attempts at getting such equality of defence, finally a break through occurs and a fresh kind of justice gets revealed and their release paper-work gets signed.
All Anthony Ray Hilton could say was - that all those who were involved in his false incarceration will have to face God.
An easy cop-out
That to me sounds like an all too easy cop-out for personal accountability. In some sense it's the result of how the Nazi perpetrators excused their incomprehensible behaviour, that they were “following orders”, therefore don't pin it on them for their actions. It was all part of the system. Anthony Ray Hilton has heard that spin since his release.
Is it possible to go back in time, in this case, 30 years ago, and pin the ears back of those involved? What was their individual involvement? Why didn't they follow through with this and that. What pressures came to bear and from whom? What weren't the jurours told and why? Or is all swept under the carpet with nice politically correct phrases such as 'poverty, inadequate legal assistance, and prosecutorial indifference.'
Are those charged with investigating such horrific miss-carriages of justice just as guilty as their predecessors when they fail to track down these questions, as they say, like a blood hound - never sleeping, as it were - until every dark place is given light. Who knows, the trail may end up with the investigating police officer, the tricky prosecutor who took liberties, the judge who failed to check such fast talking, or further up the chain, to the Governor's desk.
The reality
Sadly, the reality is that such is only for Hollywood. I've recounted previously how in a Midsummer Murders story, a man who had spent 17 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, returned and saw off three of the perpetrators to his down-fall only for it to be revealed that a sister of the perpetrators did it all those years ago. The script writer has those investigating noting that the injustice of 17 years previously led to these subsequent three murders.
How does a civil society deal with such woeful miss-carriages of justice. Consider those in such situations who have lost their chance of a complete life. No marriage. No children. No grand-parenting. No career. No true friends. No house and garden. No holidays. No church family. No enjoying the wider life.
To seal the fate of those who perpetrated such things ends up being counter-productive – another family is left devastated. There are times when public condemnation of the people involved might engage a more humbling outcome.
But the same applies for a host of other people in our civil society. Those who are falsely accused and later cleared. The mud sticks yet the accusers walk away. What about junior sports (add all cultural activities) where a favoured athlete is given the nod yet clearly a better performer is left out. What of career promotions, likewise.
Biblical announcements
The bible is clear on forgiveness, and yet maintains accountability. In other words there is personal forgiveness yet the civil society for it functions at all, requires public accountability. The IT white collar thief might be forgiven by his / her line supervisor because they've been friends over some years, but the civil society demands there be an accountability. It could end up being several years of imprisonment. Yet those whom he cheated may never get back what was stolen.
The Scriptures says that ultimate justice belongs to God, and at the same time allocates the process of a functioning society with appointment well respected people – such as the advice Moses' the father in law gave, and the Apostles appointing deacons in Acts.
The key issues above relate to when all of it breaks down and individuals find themselves in situations not of their doing and out of their control. Sadly, the system is never free of such problems as non-perfect people like you and me are involved. Therefore, however unjust, however sad, each person has to come to terms with what has happened and develop strategies to overcome the mental and physical outcomes.
Personal forgiveness is the first step (healing and forgiveness are bed fellows). Accountability is a necessary civil matter for the good order of society. Ultimately, as Anthony Ray Hilton said, we all will at some time, front up to God.
Dr Mark Tronson - a 4 min video
Chairman – Well-Being Australia
Baptist Minister 45 years
- 1984 - Australian cricket team chaplain 17 years (Ret)
- 2001 - Life After Cricket (18 years Ret)
- 2009 - Olympic Ministry Medal – presented by Carl Lewis
- 2019 - The Gutenberg - (ARPA Christian Media premier award)
Gutenberg video - 2min 14sec
Married to Delma for 45 years with 4 children and 6 grand children