Ellington

It's good to start seeing the mainstream press in Mississippi taking seriously the idea that there may be many innocent people in our prisons due to a screwed-up judicial system and plain ole racism. Vicksburg Post editor Charlie Mitchell has a good column out about the work of the Innocence Project, which the JFP's Ronni Mott's has been chronicling for months now. Here are some money quotes from Mitchell:

It's not unusual to hear a person behind bars insist the state got the wrong guy. Using DNA, however, The Innocence Project has been doing something unprecedented in Mississippi: proving it. It's unsettling stuff - or should be - to those who have been comfortable believing that while police and courts may not be perfect, it's almost impossible for people who have done nothing wrong to wind up in prison.[...]

At first blush, Mississippians might have reacted to last fall's announcement that The Innocence Project would be stepping up efforts in Mississippi in ho-hum fashion. Nationally, the project has scored more than 200 reversals, but, you know, they're a bunch of bleeding hearts. Yes, our beloved John Grisham is a board member and, with Scott Turow, hosted a fundraiser in Jackson - but Janet Reno, too? This state's a natural destination for quixotic do-gooders, right?

Yes. Always has been. But there's also this: They really are right.

Previous Comments

ID

117587

Comment

*sigh* another "Gosh, those stupid Mississippians" article.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2008-03-05T12:40:27-06:00

ID

117588

Comment

How's that? Do you not want a bad criminal-system highlighted that keeps innocent people in prison for years -- because it makes Mississippians look bad? Surely to God, that can't be your first reaction, or top priority, here.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-03-05T13:26:10-06:00

ID

117589

Comment

I don't think they're trying to make Mississippi look bad. The Innocence Project has already had dozens of exonerations, mostly in the larger population highly industrialized states - nine exonerations in Massachusetts and dozens in NY, NJ, PA, CA,OH, IL.

Author

willdufauve

Date

2008-03-05T15:14:10-06:00