What do you think of the trend toward people being released from prison due to new DNA evidence?

The justice system owes something to them that can never be repayed!

Delayed justice is better than no justice.

Trend? You refer to it like it’s the new cool thing to do, and that’s the only reason why it’s happening.

They should not only be released but automatically compensated for all financial losses, including lost wages and future lost income due to their reputation being ruined by the original conviction.
We should remember that some of these offenders are serving time for multiple offenses, only some of which they may be not guilty of.

It speaks to the fact that they were falsely imprisoned.

That is why Justice is Blind.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land: we think along the same lines on this issue.

@richardhenry: I stand corrected…it’s not like there’s a line of falsely inprisoned people waiting to be released.

If you read the “evidence” these people were convincted on it, it’s ridiculous.

I think it demonstrates why the State should not be putting people to death: trials are flawed and ambiguous, death is irreversible.

I think this ‘trend’ is a good trend. I don’t think I’ve ever written a simpler answer here on fluther.

i think it helps to show that:
a) humans can only act according to what they believe and that
(eg. the actions of the justice system either imprisoning or letting them go)
b) they can only believe what is evident to them at the time.
(eg. had to wait until new evidence materialized before they believed it. couldn’t just choose to believe the truth)

@ninjacolin: Astute observation. Thank you.

@pdworkin The number of times this has happened in Illinois has led me to the same conclusion.