Innocence Project - Gerechtigkeit für Justitia

So it's approximately 5:00 am and I should be sleeping but instead I feel compelled to submit a review for this incredible docuseries. While I appreciate the submission of other reviews, I think many missed the mark in describing the impact of these wrongful convictions. The distortion of evidence was a big part of the series, but I think the overriding message was how reputation and ego were more important than the truth in virtually every case. Not to mention that a strong case could be made that many of these convictions came down to ole fashioned bigotry as well. Corruption on the prosecutorial level is given a close look and scrutinized. Corruptive tactics are widely known to have been used by police in the 80s/90s. However, to see prosecutors aiding and abetting alongside those corruptive tactics was sickening to say the least. Its truly shocking as a viewer and aspiring lawyer to see how flawed our criminal justice system can be. I think a strong case can also be be made that prosecutors should not be granted immunity for their role in wrongful convictions but instead should be punished for their ineptitude / complacency. It's encouraging to see some changes have been made since these convictions were handed down, e.g. the new Philadelphia District Attorney, but there's so much more that needs to be done on a federal level to make sure these types of situations simply cannot happen. The only thing preventing me from giving the series a 10 is I felt the pacing could have been faster. Some of the episodes seemed drawn out and could have been condensed into shorter versions without losing information.

If you really lile true crime documentaries.. watch the series but sometimes you can get a bit boring due to long lines of narrative..

To date I don't think there's been a series that has infuriated me so much. Following cases taken on by the innocence project to clear the names of falsely accused and wrongfully imprisoned. I was actually open mouthed listening to the details of what had been done to these victims by people who abused their power, or hid behind the label of "expert" to get convictions and let people languishing in jail for decades, knowing full well they were innocent. They not only destroyed the lives of the people they imprisoned but the byproduct of their lies and deceit was letting the true perpetrator of these horrendous acts be free to commit more crimes. It perfectly addresses racism, cultural lines and social issues, all in all it's a very well made documentary that is tragic and heartbreaking but manages to project a message of hope. Side note. I wanted to throat punch that fat dentist so bad!!!!! How does he sleep at night!!!

What clearly comes across is the arrogance of that character Dr West, who clearly seems to think he couldn't get anything wrong. Then there's the arrogance of the prosecutor Forrest Allgood. What is it with American "justice"? If something else could account for the impressions, or they could be made by someone else, you can't use it as definitive evidence. And what was the motive for those who were wrongly convicted to do those murders? Nuts. It seems that some police and lawyers in the US are more concerned with getting the result they want rather than finding out who really did the crimes. Do you work properly, guys, and don't just ASSUME anything.

My big take away from this documentary was that it was kind of scary, these people went to jail for many years based on bogus science and circumstantial evidence. It certainly makes you think how many people incarcerated are innocent, and how many people have gotten away with murder.