Being prosecuted, under any circumstances, is a terrifying experience. It can feel as though the whole world is against you, and your whole life is slowly crumbling down.
If you’re unfairly accused of and prosecuted for a crime, it can be quite hard to overcome. The federal government is incredibly strict and aggressive when it comes to shielding the law. This means that, although innocent, you’ll be facing one hell of a legal battle.
The number of people who are wrongly accused, prosecuted and convicted is staggering. And yet, it continues to happen. How can we stop it? Why does it happen? What can we do to protect the innocent?
The people who do commit crimes do get what they deserve. But for the innocent, the legal process is something they shouldn’t endure.
What causes unfair prosecutions?
There are several different factors at play here. Unfair prosecutions can happen for a whole host of reasons, from human error to people deliberately lying.
The biggest cause of unfair prosecutions is eyewitness misidentification. Humans have great memories that’s for sure, but it’s impossible for us to remember everything, in crisp HD. Mistakes will be made, and these mistakes – intentional or not – have legal ramifications.
Other causes include false confessions and people deliberately snitching. The legal process makes it tricky to identify these issues, which is why they keep occurring.
So, problems exist – but how can we fix them? Of course, the first step for anyone who’s falsely accused of a crime is to enlist the help of one of the best criminal lawyers they can get. Whether you’re guilty or not, the legal process remains the same, and you must fight the same.
A lot of good lawyers are able to successfully defend their falsely accused clients. Obviously, if no crime was committed, it makes their job a lot easier. If there’s no evidence and no real sign that the accused is guilty, getting them to walk free becomes much simpler.
Many would argue that the justice system is in dire need of repair, and they’re not a million miles away from the truth. The fact that people can be sent to jail over a hazy eyewitness statement is baffling to say the least.
But perhaps it’s not the justice system that’s the problem. Perhaps it’s something that goes on behind the scenes. Most legal evidence comes from forensic science and forensic testing methods, which may not be as reliable as we believe.
Some forensic procedures used have little scientific ground. Scientists can bend the rules of the lab just to aid a criminal case. This has led to many a false conviction.
And herein lies the problem. Our pursuit of justice sometimes causes us to become blind to the truth, and it’s here where mistakes are made. Of course, there will always be false eyewitness statements, and human error. But we can’t fix these.
Instead, we must focus on the things we can fix. The legal system has got much to improve upon, and one area is the very science that we rely upon every single week.