ESPN recently came out with a documentary from their documentary series 30 for 30 on the duke lacrosse case. It was called fantastic lies, a really good hour and a half watch if you can find a place to watch it. My wife said it felt like making a murderer but just much shorter. Mike Nifong is a bad person and the seargent is also a bad person. They have the alleged victim a photo line up of 40 different men but each person was a part of the team so she couldn't make a wrong choice! Just incrediblely bad policing.

Perhaps the most tragic indictment of the current system came from one of the falsely accused students, Reade Seligmann, who said in 2007 that the experienced "opened [his] eyes" to injustice.

"If police officers and a district attorney can systematically railroad us with absolutely no evidence whatsoever, I can't imagine what they'd do to people who do not have the resources to defend themselves," he said.

After the anger subsides and reality begins to set in, an injustice or false conviction takes away our innocence and we realize that many of the ideas we have been taught to believe all our lives were lies.

No, the police are not our friends after all. No, there is no justice for all. Yes, people in authority will lie to further their career, even to the point of destroying other lives along the way. Yes, people are basically stupid and have to be told what to believe. No, the system rarely works.

This loss of innocence attacks our core value system and the belief system we were taught; it is a difficult pill to swallow to learn that many of the things we were taught were wrong. These situations shake the Pollyanna out of our soul and we become realistic and pragmatic.

This loss of innocence once we see how the system really works then leads to a sense of betrayal. How or why were we taught all our lives that law enforcement and the government in all situations are there to protect us and see that we could live safely??

Every mother here, every wife, every family member and every loved one who has been touched by the sex offender registry to an extent is dealing with an injustice; they can identify with the anger and disappointment----and complete utter shock--- brought on by this loss of innocence and subsequent betrayal. While the conviction may not have been an injustice, restrictions of the registry certainly are unfair. I am sure everyone here can relate to this loss of innocence followed by this sense of betrayal of which I speak.

I cannot count the number of people, who, once they have experienced this situation, have said to me, "I never dreamed the registry or our criminal justice system were so unfair and uncaring toward defendants; this absolutely sucks!!!

And don't even get me started on our failed prison system.

rewdiazepam

I read about and watched the Duke case from the beginning to the very end. Of course, Nancy Grace was all over the story as was another wing nut friend of hers by the name of Wendy Murphy, who was on FOX news daily. Wendy to this very day swears that those boys were guilty.

Both are former prosecutors, the real "hired guns" who have no problem convicting innocent men.

Why was Nifong never prosecuted?? They could have prosecuted him on several crimes, but they chose not to. Yes, he was disbarred, but he still did not face criminal prosecution. No accountability just kills the system.

We need to start sending some of these prosecutors such as Nifong to prison, along with a substantial monetary fine. This is the only thing that will stop some of the prosecutorial misconduct we see in many cases. Hitting someone in the pocketbook and taking away their freedom is the only thing they will understand.

rewdiazepam

I agree there should be some harsh penalty - at least financial - levied against prosecutors in these situations, especially considering that those charged with sexual crimes are tarred and feathered for life - even if they're acquitted or not even charged.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/04/opinion/five-black-teenagers-innocent-face-a-lifetime-of-guilt.html?_r=1

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3493675/PIERS-MORGAN-Dear-Harry-really-thinking-going-Yale-nuts-wouldn-t-five-minutes-against-politically-correct-sex-police.html

Amen REW