Jan. 6, 2015

Is There Hope for the Innocents in Our Jails?

Is There Hope for the Innocents in Our Jails?
Have we become too jaded about prisoners, believing that once they're convicted we should throw away the key? They all claim they're innocent, right? Is the U.S. criminal justice system infallible, or does evidence get hidden or tampered with that could have proved a defendant's innocence? Today's guest, Jeffrey Deskovic, was one of those innocents who, as a 16-year-old boy, was railroaded into a false confession and convicted of the rape and murder of his high school classmate - a crime he didn't commit. He spent 16 years in maximum security prisons in New York, until the real killer's DNA freed him. To this day, none of the police, prosecutors or medical examiners who concocted evidence to frame him, have been disciplined. Once released, Jeff earned a masters in criminal justice and launched The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice, which exonerates the wrongly convicted, helps them reintegrate into society, and educates the public about wrongful convictions.