Law & Justice: December 2011 Archives
Never talk to the police without a lawyer.
An innocent man has told of a five-month nightmare which 'destroyed my life' after being wrongly accused of being a serial sex attacker.William Giraldo was threatened with deportation and thrown in the notorious Rikers Island prison in New York when he was mistaken for the 'Brooklyn Groper'.
He was picked out of a lineup, arraigned on his wedding day and spent a month in jail until DNA evidence cleared him.
Police thought Mr Giraldo was responsible for not only that crime but three other incidents and circulated his picture to the media.
Mr Giraldo handed himself in to clear his name - but got caught up in his own personal hell.
Thinking it would be over quickly, he did not call a lawyer and to his surprise was taken to the special victims unit, which deals with sex crimes, where detectives spent hours questioning him.
Mr Giraldo told the New York Daily News: 'I don't have anything to hide, so why not go over there and clear my name. I told them I have nothing do to with this.
'Detectives were telling me to confess to something I didn't do, saying it would be easier for me, they would reduce my sentence.'
Never talk to the police without a lawyer, even if you're completely innocent or "not a suspect".
More videos on wht not to talk to the police, many including tips from law enforcement officers and legal experts.
(HT: The Agitator.)
Blago sentenced to 14 years in prison.
U.S. District Judge James Zagel handed down the sentence on Wednesday, shortly after Blagojevich made a plea for leniency, following his conviction on 18 corruption counts. ...At his retrial earlier this year, Blagojevich, 54, was convicted of 17 charges, including allegations he tried to sell or trade an appointment to the U.S. Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama.
Blagojevich is a crook, but I stand by my earlier arguments that non-violet criminals should not be imprisoned.
Perhaps interpretation of the 8th Amendment has eliminated so many other potential punishments that we're forced to use imprisonment for everything, but this need not remain the case. For example, public floggings have a long history of use in every part of the world, and could be performed under proper medical supervision such that no permanent injury would be inflicted. Non-violent offenders could also be subject to terms of indentured servitude, and could thus contribute to society during their punishment.
Prison is extremely expensive, and it is very hard for prisoners to re-enter society after they have served their terms. We could save a lot of money and enhance justice by implementing other forms of punishment.
