Watch the two videos below about the Innocence Project:
Two years ago when I taught Forensics here at Central, I brought in a guest speaker, Angel Gonzalez. Angel Gonzalez spent over 20 years in prison here in Illinois for a crime he did not commit. While many of you were definitely against DNA testing in the first blog post, what do you think now? Check out the Innocence Project website. I am going to give you the link to Angel Gonzalez's profile, but look around.
Your assignment this week is to write another paragraph about DNA being used to exonerate people who have been sent to prison for crimes they did not commit. In class I will tell you about what I learned when I dealt with the Innocence Project. Does this make you think differently about DNA testing? Are you in favor of DNA testing if it would prove someone innocent? Can you think of a very famous criminal case that was one of the first highly publicized cases using DNA evidence? Do a little research. What is a high-profile case where DNA testing was essential? Would you want to work for the Innocence Project? If you were wrongly convicted, would you be able to forgive the system that wronged you? Please make sure your paragraph is thoughtful and at least 5 sentences long.
In the last blog post I was for DNA testing and I still am now. I had not heard about the innocent project before, but it makes DNA testing even more valuable. If someone could be proven innocent whats the harm in that? Malcolm Alexander was wrongfully convicted and served 38 years in prison. This is the longest time that the innocent project has ever worked with. However, with their DNA testing he was able to be free again. If I were given the chance to work for this organization I wouldn't just because it doesn't sound very fun. What they are doing is great, but not for me.
ReplyDeleteThese videos were about people who were wrongfully convicted of crimes they didn't commit. It is so sad that people have to go through this and are separated from their familys so long even though they are innocent. I can't imagine the emotional damage this must cause to victims and their familys. I am in favor of DNA testing if it proves someone innocent and bring justice to familys of the victim of the actual crime. I looked up cases where DNA testing was crucial to a case and found a case about an 8 year old girl who was murdered in 1988. The police had DNA from her killer but that wouldn't help because he was not in the data base and couldn't be tracked down. The case went cold but in 2015, new DNA technology was developed, enabling them to narrow it down to two brothers who eventually confessed, bringing justice to the Tinsley family after so many years. Without the DNA technology we have now, this wouldn't have been possible. I would work for the innocence project because I deeply believe in the cause. The people in these videos are incredible for never giving up despite their situation. If I were wrongfully convicted, I don't think I would ever be able to forgive the system for taking away parts of my life that I would never get back.
ReplyDeletei agree , the system would be unforgivable
DeleteI agree but I think that after a while I would forgive the system and try to do something to fix it.
Deletei agree, i wouldnt be able to forgive the system
DeleteThis project has definitely helped the lives of so many people wrongly put into prison. This I feel is much different than the topic last week. Last week, when we gave our opinions on whether or not the FBI should be allowed to take the DNA from people using those ancestry kits you get at target and have your DNA to use while investigating a case. I thought that if the people were completely oblivious to the FBI doing this then it’s then it’s wrong. However, when doing something like this, such as a rape case or someone being charged with murder, I think that it’s completely okay to take those DNA samples just to double check you have the right person (not from those kits, but from people related to the case). They should take every suspect, just anyone who is related to the case at all. Now, I’m aware that you might suspect someone and it could just be some random person who you would never guess and then have no way of truly knowing who did it, in which case I don’t really have an answer. Although my feelings toward the FBI taking results anonymously haven’t changed. I don’t think I would like to work at the innocence project, but I think it’s a good idea. If I was wrongly convicted, I’m not sure if I would be able to forgive the system that locked me up. The stories were heartwarming, but I’m still a bit confused on the whole innocence project. Maybe I heard wrong, but it seems like in a couple of these cases, the men said they did commit the crime and we wrongfully locked up. Again, like I said I’m not positive but it seems like a big work in progress. With time though, I think this could lead to helping thousands of people get out of jail.
ReplyDeleteI agree, DNA evidence will be big in future cases.
DeleteThis does not make me think differently on the topic of the family tree data being used in cases. The family tree DNA shouldn’t be used in criminal cases, but DNA should be more used and more trusted in the court of law. I am in favor of DNA testing very much for cases that the innocence project has dealt with, but not with using data from a company that has nothing to do with crime. I’m pretty sure one of the very famous high-profile cases where they used DNA is the O.J Simpson trial but not many understood DNA evidence at the time so the evidence wasn’t as good as the LAPD had thought. In another case, Police in England asked molecular biologist Alec Jeffreys to use DNA to verify the confession of a 17 year-old boy in two rape-murders in England. That was one of the first times DNA evidence was used in the court of law. It would be cool to work for the innocence project and I would be doing something that is actually making people's lives better. If I was wrongfully convicted I would not be able to forgive the criminal system.
ReplyDeleteI agree strongly with this
DeleteI agree that DNA should be used more in cases.
DeleteAfter learning about the Innocence Project it made me rethink my opinions on DNA testing. As I think about it more I think it is more valuable to have DNA testing prove some innocence if it means freeing people who have no reason to be in jail. In my opinion it is more important to have innocent people be free and with their families over having some people be angry about having their DNA shared. I would be interested working for the innocence project because I would be able to help out many families and change people's lives. If a company wrongly convicted me I would not be able to forgive them because that would feel so awful being in jail knowing someone else out in the world should be there instead of you.
ReplyDeleteI agree and that the justice system needs some work if it doesn't want to wrongfully accuse anyone else.
DeleteAfter having watched the videos and researched a bit more about the Innocence Project, I have changed part of my opinion about DNA testing and its use in crime cases. This is because I am 100% in favor of DNA testing if it is for the purpose is to prove someone’s innocence. This is a bit different from the article of last week because they are DNA testing with the consent of the person. So, I still stand with my opinion on how DNA testing should only be done with their permission of the person being tested. With that being said, it seems to be working well for the Innocence Project, who use the DNA testing to prove the innocent people who were convicted guilty for a crime they did not commit. Now, the use of DNA for wrongful convictions has been used for many people, but the first publicized case from the Innocence Project was of Kris Bloodsworth who spent 9 years in prison for being wrongfully accused for rape and first degree murder, but with the help of DNA evidence he was exonerated. This is why DNA testing is so essential, because of all of the 382 wrongfully convicted people who have been freed and many more to come. I would personally want to work with the Innocence Project because it helps so many people and their families to get the justice they deserve. Also, if I was wrongly convicted I don't think I would be able to forgive the system that wronged me because after spending all those years in prison, I would just think that they should've done more to find the real criminal.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you.
DeleteGreat paragraph and I totally agree with everything you said
DeleteAfter watching these videos about using DNA to prove innocence is mind blowing. People are wrongly convicted and sent away for a good portion of their life knowing deep down they did nothing wrong. In the last post I said I was against dna testing due to the negative effects of it but after watching these people so much happier out of jail because they were proved innocent is life changing and this innocence test is such a great investment of time and money and energy because in the end your giving someone their life back. I think working for the innocence project would be extremely interesting and the joy of proving someones innocence off of dna that we are not even able to see is extremely cool, but if someone wrongly convicted me it'd be a hard thing to forgive because if I had to wait 20 years to be proven innocent they clearly were not spending enough time looking into the case and other possible suspects and or reasons for this. After some research I was able to find that it has been 30 years since the first innocence case and since then people have been proved innocent like crazy with one simple test. It says in the research that it was a murder and someone who lived nearby was falsely accused of raping a girl and then strangling her with her own scarfe, he faced many years in prison until these innocence tests were made and one by one were removing innocent people from bars, now that is truly amazing.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is really sad people are wrongfully sentenced for something they didn't do. This also changed my perspective on if DNA should be used by police and investigators to find who truly committed the crime and is guilty.
DeleteI agree too. Great paragraph!
DeleteDNA is a tool for some agencies, and can help wrongful convictions for the innocent. If this DNA testing can help the innocent and even maybe save some of their lives, I would be in favor of granting the government access to DNA. If DNA was used in courts of law, this could totally change the game for large scale crimes, and maybe discourage high level crimes. If law enforcement was granted access to all DNA, criminals could be found much easier, as almost always some DNA is left at the scene. I would be willing to work for the innocence project due to the fact that this is totally reform criminal justice, and help everyone to rest easy knowing they wouldn't be wrongfully convicted. High profile or not, DNA testing could be used to remodel criminal justice and make trials less of a shot in the dark and more of a guaranteed right answer.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that it's worth it to give the government access if it could save peoples lives and prevent innocent from being thrown in jail and it would make a lot of things easier. As long as the people know.
DeleteMy original opinion was that using DNA to prove innocence or guilt was good and this has made me stick to that opinion. I believe that using the DNA is for the greater good consent or not if it could prevent mistakes like the ones shown in the videos above. I personally couldn't forgive the government if I were wrongfully convicted especially for the time extensions some of these people went through. I would pin blame on the government for not verifying because there are ways to check wrongful convictions and DNA is one. If they won't even put forward the effort of a DNA test for a sentence as long as 10+ years then yes, I will not forgive that.It is purely lazy actions that ruined large parts of some of these peoples lives.
ReplyDeleteI agree, people should be absolutely sure and they should try to take the measures to do this before sending someone away for that long wrongfully.
DeleteI'm glad you decided to stick to your opinion even when it can be controversial.
DeleteAfter reading this article I still very strongly stand by what I said in my past post. Even though I believe that privacy is important, I know that it will help so many others that might actually need to have this knowledge given out. DNA testing is extremely helpful when identifying criminals and in this case gave a man his life back. Think about it, if DNA testing wasn’t as advanced as it is now then Gonzalez would still be behind bars for another 16 or so years and in his case, being wrongly convicted provoked him to do something that only gave him more time added to what he was already serving. I believe that being able to prove that people are innocent has greatly improved society and will help convict those who are truly wrong later in the future.
ReplyDeleteDNA testing can be used for multiple negative purposes, but what is often overlooked is the positives that can come from it as well. Through DNA testing, law enforcement can more accurately convict people for their crimes by matching their DNA to DNA found at the scene. One of the first cases that used DNA testing was that of Dawn Ashworth’s. A girl who would be found dead without a suspect in sight. DNA testing can help girls like her and can help people from being wrongly convicted of a crime they didn’t commit. I know that if I was mistakenly put in jail for a decade I would only forgive those who wrongly convicted me if my time was paid back in money… but still money can not replace time and the memories lost. DNA testing would make huge strides in avoiding these incidents for good which I believe is a step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you that there are both sides to DNA testing, negative and positive. Nice paragraph!
DeleteI think that my first opinion regarding DNA testing will still stand strong. I think that people should give consent for the federal government to use their genetic information. However, in the case of exonerating individuals wrongly convicted, I think that they should be able to file or request access to a database containing the information of people that could possibly be involved in crime. Restricted access, but hopefully enough to right a wrong.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea.
DeleteThat sounds like a good idea.
DeleteI still want to get DNA testing and still feel that there should be warnings that they are giving your information to other companies. But I do feel that what the Innocence Project does is amazing and should continue. I am in favor of DNA testing to prove innocence, no person should be convicted of a crime they didn’t commit. I do not know of any popular criminal case that used DNA testing. The murder of Krystal Beslanowitch is a case where they used touch DNA to solve the crime. I would not want to work for the Innocence Project only because it is not what I want to do for a job later in life. I would be able to forgive the system that wronged me or I would go and try to change it to be better and make it that fewer people are wrongly convicted.
ReplyDeleteGreat paragraph, I agree with how I would want to do something to help make sure that none of this happens to anyone else.
DeleteI definitely agree on the warnings that they should give. Lovely paragraph!
DeleteI agree with you on how DNA testing should be uses to prove a person's innocence.
DeleteNice paragraph Isabella.
DeleteAfter seeing these videos my opinion on DNA being used has changed because if I was wrongfully accused like Angel Gonzalez I'd be fine with someone using my DNA to prove my innocence. I think that if I was in the position of these people I don't think I would be able to forgive the government, the police or the victim because they took would be taking away years of my life that I wouldn't be able to get back. On the otherhand I still think the agencies should be giving away you DNA without your consent.
ReplyDeleteAgreed I wouldn't care who knows my DNA at that point, I would want to be proven innocent.
DeleteAfter watching these videos I still have the same opinion and I am for DNA testing. I am even more in favor for DNA testing for convicting someone, because I wouldn't want someone who did nothing wrong and has now wasted many years of their life in prison. I think that a famous case of DNA testing was Malcolm Alexander who spent 38 years in prison. Although I am for the innocence project I think that I wouldn't work there as I have aspirations in other fields. If I was wrongly convicted I don't think I could ever forgive the system that wasted many years of my life.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, this is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteAfter watching these videos, it has made me realize the importance of DNA in our daily lives. It might not seem like much but it has solved so many problems around the world. I am definitely in favor of using DNA to help prove people innocent because I feel that it is completely wrong to have someone pay the consequences of your actions. In one case, William Barnhouse was convicted of a rape he didn't commit and served 25 years in prison. Thankfully enough the Innocence Project saved him. Without DNA testing William would have still been in prison today. I think I would be interested in helping the innocence project but I don't think I would want to work there because I have other interests for a job. If I was wrongfully convicted, I wouldn't forgive the government at first but I think that after a while I would forgive them for their mistake. DNA testing has really helped the world to see the flaws they might have in their justice system.
ReplyDeleteI cannot even imagine what it would be like to be locked up behind bars for a long period of time for a crime I did not commit. I definitely think that DNA testing should give some more privacy, but after hearing these stories I realized that DNA can be extremely useful, as well as extremely dangerous when it all comes down to privacy. I feel that I would never be able to forgive, because of the time spent. Many people have stated in the videos that they missed out on many things in their life including family, friends, etc.
ReplyDeleteThose are very valid points.
DeleteAfter viewing the innocence project videos I have realized that DNA testing can help people in a good way, I believe that there should only be organizations that are like this that help people prove their innocence. Although most of the time people lie about their innocence there are few who tell the truth. These organizations should be offered but if the people who signup end up having the DNA trace back to them should be punished with more time based on how severe the case was. It is still our right to keep our personal information too our self so I will stick by it. If people would like to know there private information they should be allowed to know it without the government peeking in on it, because it is intruding our privacy.
ReplyDeleteGood job. It's always nice to see when people can see both sides of an argument.
DeleteAfter watching these videos I am firmly in favor of DNA testing. In my mind there is no harm in testing, for if that person is innocent they will be let go and if they aren’t then they will be brought to justice for their crimes. One famous case in which DNA testing found the killer was the “Golden State Killer.” They found his relatives DNA on a genetic testing website and tracked it back to him. I think it would be very interesting to work for the innocence project. I have always found genetics interesting and I think it would be nice to help those who are suffering for something they didn’t do. If I was ever wrongly convicted, I would find it very hard to forgive the system. I think I eventually would after lots of time and reflection. Overall, I think that the innocence project is a great program and genetic testing should be used whenever possible.
ReplyDeleteGreat paragraph. The case of the Golden State Killer is an intriguing one. I respectfully disagree with your last sentence, I believe that DNA testing should be used only when necessary instead of whenever possible.
DeleteThis blog post was about how there where many people who were wrongfully convicted of crimes that they had not committed. This wrongful conviction resulted in foul feelings for the system that had wronged them and gratefulness for the innocence project. The innocence project is a team of people who investigate the evidence of certain crimes which involve dna. Then they proceed to test said dna and compare it with the one from the crime to check whether or not the convicted person was really another victim.
ReplyDeleteMy belief has been that the results of a dna test should be handed over to the individual to be done with as that person pleases. This means that the individual could get himself out of trouble or could show them to whomever he or she pleases. This would result in not only full control over said documentation but also faster proof of innocence and eventual exoneration. I would personally not forgive a system that wronged me nor would I forgive the true perpetrator of the crime. While the innocence project may be an option I would personally not choose to find a job there, just due to my personal preferences and interests .
After watching this video, it made me realize how life changing getting your DNA can become. DNA has changed peoples lives forever by helping falsely accused people in prison. I really do think getting your DNA done will help everyone in the future. It's very sad to think people have gone to prison for countless amount of years for being falsely accused of something, and the fact that DNA can avoid that from happening is amazing. I think in the long run, if more people go for DNA testing, it'll help do some many good things in the world.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think it can benefit you in the long run.
DeleteThese videos definitely showed me that people can use DNA to actually help with situations. In the last blog post, I said that I thought it was beneficial for the FBI to be using the DNA samples if it helped and I feel the same way in this case. I think that them using the DNA samples to get innocent people out of jail is really useful and helpful. I think that if they're really innocent then they should be given a chance to test their DNA instead of just wrongly being accused. In the video, Jonathan Barr was talking about how there was DNA evidence that the semen in the victim didn't match his, but he was still convicted and found guilty, but the Innocence Project actually helped him go home. If I was in all of their positions, I would definitely not forgive the system that wronged me because if I was proven guilty when I didn't actually do it, they obviously didn't listen to me, and only listened to the victim without putting into consideration about my side of the problem.
ReplyDeleteI agree
DeleteWatching this video made me realize that using our DNA can help innocent people get out of jail. I think the Innocence Project is a great thing that's happening and it should keep going. This changed my view and i do think that they should be allowed to use our DNA so no more innocent people will have their lives ruined by being wrongly convicted. I know if I was in this situation, I would be mad and want to forgive them, but I don't think I could do it. They would take away many years of your life and when you get out, your life won't go back to normal. I'm in favor of this DNA Testing and the Innocence Project.
ReplyDeleteI think this foundation is doing something really special by helping those wrongfully accused inmates because I know that if I was accused of a crime that I didn't commit I would feel terrible because the person who committed the crime is still out there and could still be doing bad things to this day, so that is why I feel more strongly about DNA testing now due to the fact that I wouldn't want the wrong people locked up and I know if I was in that situation I would want them to find the real criminal as well.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the videos, it made me realize how much DNA testing cam impact someones life. By being able to free someone who is wrongfully accused by using DNA is incredible. I support the innocence project and thing that it is important for people to be punished for what they did, but for someone to get put in jail for something they did do, that is wrong. If I were in a situation where I was wrongfully accused, it would be hard for me to be able to forgive the system that put me in prison for how ever many years. People have been put in jail for up to 25ish years and will never get the time they missed back. Also, getting back they wouldn't easily find a job and wouldn't have maybe a stable home to come back to. If it wasn't for the innocence project, these individuals may still be in jail serving time for something they didn't commit. I think obviously that it'd be very hard on the person by them going to jail knowing they were in the wrong place at the wrong time or something led the system to think it was them. By the innocence project using DNA to save someone's life is incredible and I would stand with the innocence project.
ReplyDeleteI agree, this was well said.
DeleteMy stance on DNA testing in the first article was that I thought it was good as long as the person being tested gave knowing consent that their DNA and background information is being shared. I still stand by that after reading this. I think that it’s amazing that investigators are able to identify someone from their left-behind DNA, alone. It’s crazy to me that someone can go to jail for an extensive amount of time for something that they were falsely accused of. The only just and right thing to do is to give them a fair shot by providing DNA evidence to prove their innocence.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the videos my opinion on DNA testing remains the same.I believe that what the innocence project does is great and helpful to all who didn't deserve to be placed in jail.The use of DNA evidence is extremely helpful and for those using the innocence project and allows for people who didn't commit a crime to rightfully be let free.
ReplyDeleteFrom the earlier blog from last week, my thoughts on the government getting DNA info from a company without getting permission from the company was outrageous. Now, after hearing that people are being exonerated because the police are checking genetic info, I have switched my opinion on the topic. I believe that the FBI should be allowed access to people's DNA, but only with the persons consent. I find it very weird that people can go to jail without any looking into the case. Now that the innocence project is present, many issues have been fixed.
ReplyDeleteI always thought that using DNA to justify people’s actions is good(either to put them in jail or take them out). This video kind of gave me more reasoning as to why I think this. In my opinion i think that what they are doing is really unique of them to do. I feel like personally I don’t think i’d be able to handle that stress but i think that those who work there have a lot of soul and heart. If i was wrongly convicted, sure i would be mad at the people but I would forgive them because at least they could learn from the experience but of course i wouldn’t forget that it happened.
ReplyDeleteIn the last video I said that taking others DNA without their consent is wrong but after watching these videos I can see why others would want to do DNA testing. In these types of cases testing others peoples DNA can really be beneficial. Doing this could help the innocent people and give them a chance to explain themselves without actually having to say anything and expose the guilty. I think this should be mandatory because if the person thinks that their not guilty then theirs no point of denying something that could get you out of potentially going to jail. I would not forgive the system for that thought that I was guilt because now I have wasted 3 or more years later of my life that I cant take back.
ReplyDeleteIn the videos people who had been wrongfully convicted spoke about the Innocence Project. I find it so interesting that the court system will be so willing to throw people into prison even when there was DNA evidence showing that they were innocent. The Innocence Project is doing an amazing thing with DNA in a positive tone, in contradiction to last weeks blog post where using DNA to find criminals was shown in a negative tone. I, personally, am completely in favor of DNA testing and using it for this type of thing. If it would be able to help someone from spending time in prison for a wrongful accusation then it would be worth it for everyone to do a DNA test.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinion nice paragraph!
DeleteAfter watching the videos and seeing people who were wrongly convicted it made me think differently about DNA testing. I think that DNA testing is okay and very helpful if used to prove someone was wrongly convicted. I don't think that I would be able to forgive the system though. If I was wrongly convicted and in jail I would be really mad because even if you do get out and you were proved innocent it would be really hard to start your life again. You would have no money and no where to live. It would also be very difficult to find a job because you have a criminal record. I would be very interested in joining because it is a very good cause and it would be nice to help someone get their life back.
ReplyDeleteThis has changed my view on DNA testing. These people's lives were ruined because of a crime that they never committed, and these tests helped them get their lives back. It has become a big problem today that people are being sent to jail for a crime they never did, and these tests are some of their only tickets out. This project is life changing for them and has definitely made me view DNA testing in a different way than before.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion DNA testing is totally justified as long as there is consent. With the other blog post people had no idea that their DNA would be made available to the law enforcement but here it is being used for good and with consent. I think if I lost a good amount of my life to the flawed justice system I would be extremely mad and struggle to find forgiveness right away because of all the struggles integrating back into the real world can bring. But I believe after a long amount of time I could forgive the law and just hope that the system is learning from its mistakes.
ReplyDeleteThis does not make me think differently about using DNA testing. I still think it should be used. This is a great example of exactly why it should be used. If genetic testing was just used in the first place this would have been avoided all together. A case where DNA testing was key is the murder of Krystal Beslanowitch. In 19895 Krystal Beslanowitch suffered a fatal blow to the head and her body was left along the banks of the Provo River. For years there was nothing but dead ends until in 2013 it was proposed DNA could be extracted from the granite rocks where she was found. Police found DNA on the scene that a matched to a man who lived in the area at the time of her murder. I’m not sure if I would be able to forgive the system for wrongful imprisonment. It honestly would be all circumstantial on how long it was and what it was for.
ReplyDeleteIn the last blog post I said that I thought it was good that they were using DNA testing to catch criminals and I think the same thing about getting innocent people out of jail. This video only made my opinion on that stronger. I think that its wrong that the court is willing to put people and keep people in jail even though there is evidence that they're innocent and there isn't evidence that they're guilty.
ReplyDeleteThis video does make me think differently about DNA testing since if we all did it something like this would not occur. If DNA was used more there could be so many lives that would be saved. I would totally be in favor of using DNA to find the culprit. If we used this and prevented people from getting rid of DNA traces than only good things could come. I researched a case about a homeless woman named Sara Lynn Wineski, she did not gain as much attention since she was homeless. She was found strangled and raped outside a Mcdonald's restaurant. This crime was unsolved until they had finally gotten the correct DNA to catch the criminal. DNA was a key to solving this crime otherwise the criminal could have continued his deeds. If I was wrongly convicted by someone saying it was me but it was not I could forgive them if it was figured out fast, but if I am stuck in jail for 20 years I would never forgive them.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion has changed on DNA testing. Before, I thought that it was a violation of privacy but now I see how it could help. People can make rash, in the moment decisions that because they are the victims, have huge effects on the other person. Now, since DNA documenting can help much more than a yes or no question, prosecutors can get much more reliable results and people will not be falsely accused.
ReplyDeleteAfter learning about the Innocence Project, and the good they have done to exonerate innocent people, I see that there are good things that can come from DNA testing. Although I am in favor of DNA testing, the people who tested their DNA with Family Tree and other companies still need to be aware of, and consent to, their DNA being shared with anybody, including the FBI. To share their DNA with the FBI without the knowledge of the users was a breach of the users privacy and the anonymity that they understood they had when they chose to take the DNA test. With that being said, The Innocence Project's cases are proof of the good that can come from DNA testing. It was amazing to see and read about the exonerated individuals that were released as a result of the project. Not only have they gotten justice for 364 people, 20 of those people were on death row, and would’ve been executed for a crime they were innocent of if it were not for the Innocence Project. I think it would be an extremely rewarding career to work for the Innocence Project. If I had been convicted of a crime and exonerated by DNA evidence, I think it would take a long time of healing to be able to come to a level of forgiveness with the system. Not only would it have failed me in this scenario, it would've failed the victim and their family.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the videos and reading Angels story, my view on using DNA is a little different. I’m a little more for it now because it can be used to prove people innocent as well as guilty. I still think that people who do the DNA tests should definitely be aware that their DNA is being shared with the FBI and things, but yes there are some great benefits for using DNA to identify criminals and the innocent, so I would definitely say I’m more in favor of it than not. One of the first highly publicized cases involving DNA was the one for when OJ Simpson murdered his ex wife and her friend. The DNA of the blood on a pair of gloves matched his, but his lawyers were good and confusing so he didn’t get caught even though it was clearly him. I would love to work for the innocence project, because DNA and criminal stuff is cool. I know it wont be as cool as it seems in the shows like NCIS but it’d still be fun and of course awesome to get people out of jail. I know that I would be furious and sad if I got put in jail for something I wasn’t involved in and didn’t even know about, and I’d probably never trust the law again.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching these videos, they definitely changed my mind on DNA testing being shared. I do think that if the DNA was being used to help someone who was wrongly convicted get out of jail, then it would be okay. I would totally want to work for the Innocence Project. It's a great organization that helps lots of people and if I had that chance to work with them I would take it. If I was wrongfully convicted I don't think I could forgive the system. Because they took away years of my life where I could be with my family and living my life.
ReplyDelete