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Written by administrator
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Mar 08, 2010 at 09:12 PM |
Colorado Debates Direct File
It seems that in the United States we have a “Polly Anna” attitude or maybe we walk around with our hands over our eyes so that we do not have to face the evil around us.
Most American people believe that if a person is arrested and charged, they must have been involved in a crime and deserve what’s coming to them. Most of America believes that we have a criminal justice system in place that is fairly fool proof and we always get the bad guy. We have to believe that. Otherwise we will be faced with the fact that yet another piece of our world is antiquated, corrupt and unaccountable.
There has been a consistent theme in reporting around the country this week. A theme that should cause us to be angry. This concerns the injustice that has been set against our fellow citizens and children. Those that have been charged wrongfully, those being bantered with in a game of power and those who have served time in our prisons wrongfully…….even those who died in prison and were later pardoned.
Organizations like the The Innocence Project work on cases around the country to get those who have been wrongfully convicted free. There are also organizations who are working on the issues surrounding juvenile justice and the ability of District Attorney’s to transfer juveniles to adult court for prosecution. Still others are working to examine and hold accountable our criminal justice system. There are too many stories of criminal justice infractions on the rights of citizens, too many wrongful convictions and too many innocent people behind bars. Then you can add too that the number of individuals who are serving long prison sentences or indeterminate sentences because of conspiracy laws and felony murder. These laws cause the defendant to be just as culpable as the person who committed the crime just because they were present or knew of the crime before or after the fact. It’s called guilt by association.
The first story that I want to relate to you, is about an 11 year old boy (Jordan Brown) who has been charged with murder. Much debate went on concerning the status of this young defendant and now he is notably one of the youngest person to be tried in adult court. What in the world could an 11 year old boy have done to deserve this? He is charged with killing his father’s fiance and her unborn child. The evidence proves otherwise.
From Mary Ellen Johnson of The Pendulum Foundation - “The reasons this case may be so important are two: first, Jordan is the youngest person in America to have been charged as an adult for murder; and two, Jordan is innocent. All of the issues which arise in youth violence cases are present except having to explain why this young person may have gone wrong. He didn’t. He is, in fact, a model kid and potentially a poster-boy for everything that is structurally wrong with the American approach to youth justice, Jordan’s case dramatizes that everyone’s children are at risk as long as these unfair and irrational laws remain on the books.” Mary Ellen is speaking of the Direct Statute and the ability of a District Attorney to transfer a juvenile into adult court for prosecution. For more information concerning this case please click on these links - www.jordanbrowntrust.org or http://wandervogeldiary.wordpress.com/
The next story that I want to bring to your attention concerns the infamous case of the “West Memphis Three”. These three boys were charged with the murder of homeless men. The evidence proves otherwise. One young man is on death row. Actor Jonny Depp made a public appearance and statement on the program “48 Hours Mystery” this past weekend, on behalf of justice for these three boys. All they are asking for is a re-trial and a chance to present the truth. So far they have been denied. You can see more on this by following the link below.
Play CBS Video
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Newsflash 
