Facebook Conversation: Your Stories of Injustice

Last week we asked members of our Facebook page this question: “Have you ever been arrested or questioned for a crime you didn’t commit? What impact did the false accusation have on your life? How was the situation resolved?”

We got an overwhelming response – 94 of you had moving, troubling and sometimes inspiring stories to share. Below are two of the responses we received, illustrating the startlingly common experience of false accusations in our lives:

John wrote: “I was never arrested but was accused and badgered by the police for hours for a very serious crime. It was unnerving how quickly it became obvious that they had zero interest in my story or innocence. They had made up their minds and they were there to bully a confession out of me, not uncover the truth. The only thing that got rid of them is they found zero evidence that I’d done anything wrong. (They had no warrant, but I let them search my home anyway, something I’d NEVER do again.) They left still convinced of my guilt.

Before that, I was one of those “I ain’t got nuthin’ to hide” people and naively believed the innocent have nothing to fear. That glimpse into how easily one can be accused, and how disorienting the process is, changed all that. I’m a white-collar, middle-class American in suburbia who’s never had any kind of trouble with the law. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.”

Cindy wrote: “Yes. Negative impact on many occasions. I still get uncomfortable when a police car is behind me and I’m not even doing any wrong or ever did. Not a good feeling. I have a friend in prison right now, he is not guilty. We have reached out to the Innocense [sic] Project – still holding on to hope.”

For 92 more stories, check out the entire conversation

here

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join today’s conversation about the best films on the topic of wrongful convictions

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