Being Falsely Accused Research Paper

I agree with the speaker that the criminal justice system in America treats you better if you’re rich and guilty than if you’re poor and innocent. I believe that in not only in American society but also around world, wealth has a major roll in the outcome of a situation. Money does what money does best, it buys. Unfortunately, money can buy you your freedom and a judge. With money people look up to you, but without money people look down on you.

“The Innocence Project...reports that so far, DNA evidence has exonerated more than 250 people in 34 states who were wrongly convicted” (Modaferri). There is a reasonable possibility Adnan Syed’s case in Baltimore, Maryland. He an 18 year old boy being convicted for the murder. He is an outstanding student and a phenomenal athlete. Due to the inaccurate evidence and testimony of live witnesses, Adnan is innocent in the murder of Hae Min Lee.

Most states in the United States and Australia don’t have a provision for rehabilitation or compensation for being wrongfully convicted. An innocent person can spend a surmountable amount of time in jail for a crime they did not commit and not receive proper help when exonerated. Some states in the United States offer a type of compensation money, but no state admits their mistake or even offer an apology. Almost never will a state admit wrong doing involving a wrongfully convicted case. In most cases the prison just gives 20$ and the belongings you came into prison and send you on your way. I feel a provision or a reform should be put in place to compensate the exonerated. Although no money can amount to the time spent in jail and away from family, the state should provide a sufficient amount that can help and ease a person back into society. I also believe the prosecutors should publicly admit their wrong doing. This can possibly help clear their name with the public, of the wrongfully

Jimmy Santiago Baca is a winner of the International Prize for his work in, A Place to Stand. The making of a poet. He writes, “I had no money. There is no way I’m going to make bail” (Baca, 187). In some cases, prisoners are only locked up because they had to get appointed a defense attorney who convinced them to plead to the charges so they would not have to go to trial and risk getting an extended amount of time. District attorneys are elected by the citizens and those people want someone who is tough on crime. If the district attorney is not tough on crime, the people will not reelect him. This can lead to many innocent lives being wasted; For instance, some criminals will sit in a cell for decades for the smallest offense. However, if a prisoner attempts to plead not guilty and the case goes to a trial by jury and they do find him or her guilty, they will be sentenced to an even longer term. It is obvious that our justice system is unfair and against human morals and ethics. They are somehow “innocent until proven guilty” yet they cannot afford to prove themselves innocent. Not only is poverty a reason for the rising increase in the population of inmates, many lack the education needed to understand the law or what they are being accused of.

7. A person's right to appeal a denied claim was expanded under the Affordable Care Act. Now a person's insurance company is required to tell the person why they denied their claim, and they will have six months to try and appeal it. You can increase the chances of getting your appeal through by following some of these tips. Understand why the claim was denied, eliminate easy problems first, gather all your evidence, and submit the right paperwork. Before fighting a denied claim, you will need to understand why it was denied in the first place. Your explanation of benefits, a standard form which is sent by the insurance company whenever your claim is approved or denied, uses a set of codes to explain why the company came to their decision. Sometimes the claim may have be denied simply because of a data-entry error, such as a misspelled name, wrong date of service, or the insurance ID number was wrong. You will need to make sure that you have all the evidence to show all of the services you are looking to have covered were all medically necessary. It is possible that you may need to write a letter to the insurance company. If that is the case,

Every penny they use go towards meeting their basic needs but they are still held responsible for the excessive costs of incarceration and services within the institution. Any payment should be restitution for their victims not towards the system.

In her informative essay, “Assisting the Poor to Make Bail Helps Everyone”, Tina Rosenberg states the Bronx Freedom Fund is one of the four community organizations in the city that aims to directly help the innocent people accused and wrongfully given dangerous jail time. The author recognizes how the court system makes it almost impossible to make bail when they take your phone, the defendant cannot pay their own bail, and you must pay in cash. These, as well as a few other limitations make it very difficult for the defendant. The process of the court system, in fact, is not keeping the streets any safer, “a drug dealer is more likely to make bail than a shoplifter”(Rosenberg). Ritchin, head of the Bronx Freedom Fund, offers those who are not fortunate enough to make bail a third option, one that is much more helpful and safe.

“The court finds you guilty on all accounts. You are sentenced to 35 years in federal prison. Court dismissed.” If only justice in America was the same as a hollywood movie, where, in the end, each and every person put on trial receives a true and just verdict. It would be nice if America’s justice system was designed so that “you couldn’t be the next victim of corruption - innocent and sent to prison, or strapped to a table and put to death; or robbed of your life savings by American lawyers” (Sachs, America’s Corrupt Legal). Welcome to the new America, where all it takes is pockets as deep as the Pacific Ocean to be innocent and poverty to be found guilty, thrown in jail, and not given a second thought. Although America often prides itself on its just ways of governing and dealing with potential criminals, the justice system is often corrupted because of social issues, ethical issues, corrupt officials, and control of the press.

The wrongly imprisoned often lack a reintegration plan because they do not know if and when they will be released, often finding out days and even only hours in advance (Westervelt & Cook, 2012). Exonerees are given as little as $20 or $30 upon release (Flowers, 2014; New York Times, 2015) and are left to their own devices to find shelter, food, clothes, and other immediate basic needs. They are fortunate if their attorneys and remaining family members are able to help them. Whether through state programs or non-governmental organizations, social workers can be instrumental in helping address the immediate transitional needs of exonerees. Once these needs are met, social workers could continue providing case management services, assisting exonerees with additional tasks such as finding permanent housing, obtaining important documentation (e.g., birth certificate, identification card), seeking employment, and accessing health care. Exonerations happen so rarely in most localities that it is not be feasible to create programs specifically for them. It would be practical, however, for existing prisoner reentry programs to develop an emergency or short-notice reintegration plan for potential exonerees, and to develop a network of community providers that is willing to provide assistance as

Continual support to victims of crime is a necessary service in any just society; this support is especially needed in the event that a convicted offender is exonerated. In the United States when a crime is committed the state, not the victim, owns and prosecutes the case so historically the victims’ rights have been neglected. In the modern era victims’ rights are being improved during the trial and sentencing phases of the criminal justice process; however in the event of an exoneration the victim is routinely revictimized and this problem needs to be corrected.

Mudslinging is described as “the use of correct or incorrect insults or accusations against an opponent aiming to destroy their credibility or reputation.” Today, as seen in the election of 2016, mudslinging has become a huge part in the election process in voting for the President of the United States. Many people such as Donald Trump bashed Hillary Clinton into “the Mother of ISIS or a horrible lying United States Secretary of State,” because of her email and her Clinton Foundation. On the contrary, Hillary breaks down on Donald Trump to being “the lying, racist, businessman he really is,” because of his companies issues of fake bankruptcy and tax evasions. This can also go to show that mudslinging is not always have to be harsh, but it can swade someone’s vote which causes them to look at the other candidate as “bad” because of the reputation that the other candidate has “set up in flames.”

The United State’s prison system was initially designed to punish and rehabilitate individuals whom were convicted of a felony or other serious offense. Inmates are sentenced for a certain amount of time, or the entirety of their life based on how serious of a crime that person has committed. The Idea of imprisoning a person as a form of punishment dates back to medieval times however, it wasn’t until right before the American Revolution humane prisons started appearing in this country. Today, prisons are more populated than they have ever been and are functioning not only as a place to reform people’s morals, but also as a highly profitable investment for the wealthy to exploit. The Prison system is so devoted to making

In the New York Times article, “A Mockery of Justice for the Poor,” the author discusses how the poor are cheated in the criminal justice system. By law, it is mandatory that the government provides an attorney to any defendant facing possible prison time, even if he or she cannot afford one. However, there are underlying fees that must be paid despite these people being poor. John Pfaff mentions how 43 states are now requiring indigent defendants to pay at least a portion of their lawyers’ fees, even though they had to be appointed one in the first place. Those who do qualify as indignant may be able to be acquitted, however, they could be convicted for failing to pay for the legal services the Constitution requires the states to provide for the defendants. Not to mention, spending money on attorneys for the poor amounts to only $2.3 billion – barely even 1% of the $200 billion the government spends annually on the criminal justice system (Pfaff 2016). Not surprisingly, public defenders who are appointed to these cases are often stripped of resources while tackling multiple other assignments at the same time.

Imagine you are a teen walking down the street with a friend. Now imagine being surrounded by police and getting searched for something that is not there. Since the item in question can not be placed the accuser changes their story; After multiple versions of what allegedly happened the police arrest you and your friend. Due to having a history of theft, a judge charges you with second degree robbery, even though there is no evidence to prove any wrong doing. Thinking the justice system will come through, and knowing your innocence, a trial is requested. Bail is set and cannot be paid due to economic hardship. Another consequence of not having money for bail, is there is also no money for a private attorney. A public defender, who has to many cases to keep straight, is assigned to help defend in court, yet he is trying to lessen his load and recommends several times that a plea deal is the best option that should be taken, even in the case of innocence. Picture holding out hope that if the case could just go to trial all would come to light. Four years pass by, mostly spent in solitary confinement, where the harsh circumstances begin to take a toll, mentally and physically. Imagine conditions so horrible, death seems better than enduring another day. Now picture the day for “justice” is finally here. No sooner does court get started it ends. The case gets thrown out due to the person who started all of this not being present. All the suffering that has been endured,

Roughly, two thirds of released prisoners are rearrested within three years of release, 47% were reconvicted, and 41% were re-incarcerated (National Center for Policy Analysis, 1998). Those are just the ones who get caught. If you return an individual to the community with $10 and a suit of clothes and no support systems, you can just about guarantee that that person is going to resort to some kind of criminal behavior. Because these numbers are so disproportionately high, we have to think in terms of doing something drastic with these offenders before they are released back into society. If no constructive plan of action can be formulated, invariably our society will falter at the hands of these men and