Wrongful Incarceration By: Gianna Gorvan

 In 1999, Horace Roberts, a now 60 year old man, was convicted and charged of second degree murder. Just days ago, on October 3, 2018 Roberts was released from incarceration. Horace Roberts was convicted of a crime he did not commit, but due to reason to believe he may have had something to do with it, such as his affair with the deceased, Terry Cheek, he was placed behind bars. Roberts knew that there was no reason for him to be placed in jail for such a long span of his lifetime, let alone any at all, and so he reached out to a non-profit organization to review his case. This organization had given Roberts a new found freedom when they discovered, it was indeed, not his DNA found anywhere on the crime scene. In contrast to being let out of jail, the two men whose DNA was later found on the dead body have been taken into custody.
   I feel as though the wrongful incrimination of any man or woman is far too common. There are too many scenarios where the court or the victims just want some sort of verdict to be made, and they convict the wrong person. When the justice system takes the wrong person into custody, it takes away the wrong person's freedom. They are stripped of all the possible life experiences they may have encountered, things like love, education, adventure, they can lose their family and friends, their jobs. In the case of Horace Roberts, he lost 20 years. 20 years of laughs, smiles, family time, and happiness all because he was stuck behind bars, knowing that he shouldn't have been.
   It isn't even just the fact that an innocent man is facing these punishments he shouldn't have to be, it is the fact that two murderers have been roaming the streets living their normal day to day lives. How many more people are we putting at risk by allowing that? If our justice department continues to convict the wrong people, that means the right people are still out there, still dangerous and capable. Our society needs to take a step back and evaluate what can be changed. How can we ensure people's safety if we aren't guaranteed to have the right criminal? It doesn't feel right or safe to be in this position with murderers, rapists, burglars, arsonists, all living their lives, ready in an instant to begin the next felony, but nobody would know because the accused was already put in jail.
   To keep peace, order, and stability in our world, we need to better improve how our government and justice system operate. It is a scary world were living in, where someone who once did something that put themselves or others at risk has the ability to do it again if they aren't arrested. There needs to be more time, more effort, and better processes put into finding a way to find the true felon so that we don't take away innocent people's freedom and let civilians have unknowingly be at risk. This is just one example of a case where the true criminal isn't found until years later, and I am sure that it will not be the last, but there certainly cannot and should not be many more.
  

Horace Roberts eats his first meal after 20 years of prison.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/16/us/20-years-exonerated-dna-prison.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fus&action=click&contentCollection=us&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront