03-13-2014, 08:51 AM
(03-12-2014, 07:39 PM)FAHQTOO Wrote: Everytime I see this kind of story, I think of Shawshank Redemption. He won't be able to survive on the outside after being locked up that long.
I predict he will either kill himself, or do something to get sent back. Hopefully, I'm wrong.
I hope he can transition back into society and live freely in peace for the rest of his days too, FAHQTOO. He has family with whom he will be staying, according to an interview with him upon his release -- I was glad to hear that.
Also, Ford will have enough wrongful conviction money to help with living expenses, without it being so excessive as to draw scammers and leaches to him as he establishes and re-establishes connections. So, I think he has a better chance of not ending up back in custody than those who complete their time and are released with no job and low prospects of getting one with a criminal record.
If Ford decides to pursue a civil suit for punitive damages associated with his wrongful conviction, I think he'd have a good chance of winning and the state would probably offer a settlement; that would be quicker and not tie him up in court. Will be interesting to learn what Ford decides to do.
The Atlantic has been covering his case for wrongful conviction for years. This is a good article about the crime, the original suspects, the trial, and the factors that kept him behind bars for three decades. CASE STORY: http://www.theatlantic.com/national/arch...ow/284179/
Justice systems are people-driven and inherently flawed; there will always be innocent people being convicted and guilty people being acquitted, even without any bias or corruption.
I'm not sure if there was any intentional wrong-doing in Ford's case, or if instead many of the system flaws converged and worked against him. In any case, I'm very glad that he's free and exonerated, about time. Thankfully, some current Louisiana prosecutors were objective enough to see the light and push the state judge to vacate the conviction altogether.