Mr. Diaz says he was never a rapist. So do his children, former wife and colleagues. But in 1980, eight assault victims swore otherwise, and that was enough to send Mr. Diaz, a fry cook and father of three, to prison for life.
Lawyers for Mr. Diaz, now 67, say that his case is the best evidence yet that witnesses can make devastating mistakes, and that such testimony, however earnest and convincing, cannot be trusted.
my controversial book about a day in my life as Public Defender in the South Bronx is finally available for Kindle and Ipad.
3 comments:
So we can no longer arrest and prosecute based on witness and victim statements. Are you advocating a rule that would allow for charges only based on forensic evidence and videotapes of the crimes? Better get another job, because very few crimes will be solved.
Okay, different anonymous here. The previous statement is ridiculous. Obviously the good attorney is simply stating that we shouldn't base prosecutions solely on witness testimony when scientifically verifiable, physical evidence is available. As a corollary, we shouldn't shy away from revisiting cases when new scientific capabilities might exonerate the innocent. There is no social utility in keeping a demonstrably innocent person in prison.
maybe we shoudln't overate what people think they see and here, as they are often falible
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