Raleigh's News & Observer today carries, "A better way to fix mistakes," by columnist Rick Martinez.
The consequences of my mistakes aren't usually a big deal. Earlier this year I wrote that Haiti was 90 miles off the Florida coast. A slew of readers rightly chastised me in e-mails similar to this one: "Dear idiot, Cuba is 90 miles from the U.S. coast, Haiti is 700 miles away. Go buy a map!" I did.
Other mistakes aren't as easy to fix or face. The toughest came a few months ago when Greg Taylor walked into a recording studio for an interview.
In 2006, I had opposed the creation of the Innocence Inquiry Commission (IIC) by the General Assembly. Had the legislature adopted the view I espoused, Taylor would be enduring his 17th year in Central Prison for a murder he did not commit.
After some pleasantries, I told Taylor about my columns. He knew all about them. He had read them in prison. Sensing my awkwardness, he placed his arm on my shoulder, grinned, and said, "That's all right man, nobody's perfect."
No one knows that better than Taylor. I wish I'd known better back in 2006.
The imperfection of the criminal justice system is why I oppose the death penalty. State-sponsored execution can't afford even one mistake. But I was more than willing to accept imperfect justice when it came to people serving time.
And:
Former state Supreme Court Justice I. Beverly Lake Jr. and Christine Mumma, head of the N.C. Center on Actual Innocence, are among those who want the IIC to get out of the screening business and concentrate on just 10 to 15 cases a year. They want more experienced law school projects to determine which cases deserve IIC resources.
The General Assembly should adopt this recommendation. As any law student - and Greg Taylor - can attest, justice delayed is justice denied.
Earlier coverage of Taylor's exoneration is here; more on the Commission, here. Related posts are in the innocence index.
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