A Burden Worth Having
I don't quite remember what I was doing in Baltimore. Suddenly, through a chain of random events, I ended up in jail for grand larceny. Although I was confident of my innocence, even my best friends testified against me. I found no hope in our judicial system. Fortunately, I could escape that situation. My alarm rang, and I woke up. Others, however, don't have that option.
Such is the story of Kirk Bloodsworth. In 1985, he was sent to death row accused of killing and raping a 9-year-old girl from Maryland. In 1992, when DNA testing was in its infancy, Bloodsworth pushed for a DNA test to prove he was not the killer. It was not a match. The state of Maryland set him free and paid him $300,000 for wrongful imprisonment.
The government's burden to prove "beyond a reasonable doubt" the culpability of a suspect is ideal because it represents the recognition, on the part of the government, that our judicial system is not infallible, as Mr. Bloodsworth's case......
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Approximate Word Count: 641
Approximate Pages: 3 (260 words per double-spaced page) |