Despised and Forgotten: America’s Innocent Prison Population
By: Kylie Craft
Tags: Life, Crime, Life Lessons, Justice, Prison

Despised and Forgotten: America’s Innocent Prison Population

Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash

I will be the first one to admit that I am not Erin Brockovich. I am not a lawyer, either. I work in real estate. I also run red lights and cuss like a sailor. However, I do worry about the plight of the unjustly convicted that we have all turned a blind eye to. I think about all the innocent people rotting away in prison, written off by everyone as guilty. Am I the only one?

When I was younger, it never occurred to me that there were people the justice system has failed. Many of those people are spending their lives wasting away behind bars. Lives wasted no differently than if they had been shot down in the street. Who is fighting for them? Does anyone even care?

The following are just a few examples. I hope this may bring light to a real issue we are dealing with in the United States. This is a social injustice that we have to prevent. The following people are only the tip of the iceberg. Everyone needs an advocate, especially the ones deemed unworthy by society. It breaks my heart to think of the innocent people who are written off by everyone, including their own loved ones, as guilty. Sometimes, they go to their deaths with nobody left on their side but God.

Photo by Damir Spanic on Unsplash

Walter McMillan

Walter McMillan’s wrongful conviction of murder and subsequent death sentence was because of official misconduct and racial biases, according to Wikipedia. He was finally released after six years and multiple appeals in 1993. He was a scapegoat and nobody cared.

The only reason I’m here is because I had been messing around with a white lady and my son married a white lady. — Walter McMillan

Chrystul Kizer

Chrystul Kizer is a 19-year-old sex trafficking victim. She is one of the many victims of a child molester who was let out of jail without bail, even though there were multiple accusers. All of his accusers were underage girls. Crystal was convicted of her abuser’s murder even though she had been abused by him for three years straight. She took matters into her own hands after our legal system let her and the other victims down.

Several celebrities and other people have come forward, trying to get her exonerated and released from prison. The legal system failed her and his other victims. That left vigilante justice as the only way for them to feel as if justice would be served.

Her story is disgusting and sheds a dim light on the state of our legal system.

Diane Jones

Diane Jones spent six years in prison (convicted to life) for a crime she didn’t commit. Thank God she was vindicated and released, but what about all the cases that aren’t and are never brought to light. Innocent people are suffering daily knowing that they are innocent and nobody is fighting for them.

Cyntoia Brown

In 2019, the Tennessee governor granted clemency to Cyntoia Brown. She spent 15 years in prison for an act of self defense following a sex crime. In my opinion, she never should have been convicted of a crime when she was acting in her own defense.

Anthony Ray Hinton

Anthony Ray Hinton was exonerated and released after spending 30 years on death row after being convicted with faulty evidence. Evidence that was fraudulent and/or mishandled. Evidence that should never have been admissible in court. Countless cases, like his, are built on shaky evidence that is nailed shut with fraudulent testimony or proof.

Photo by DESIGNECOLOGIST on Unsplash

These are just a few of the countless innocent people that have been wrongly and unjustly convicted of a crime. They are all victims as well, from a crime that we can try to prevent. Our justice system needs a huge overhaul and more focus needs to be put on proving the guilt of someone on trial. Their families are mourning them just as if they had been murdered. Their lives are just as important.

Our justice system is supposed to be based on being innocent until proven guilty, not being guilty until proven otherwise. The scales of justice are not balanced.