I guess I knew what it would be like
when I walked into the room
the dirty looks and sly glances
an overwhelming feeling of doom,
I took the stand while holding the bible in my hand
and I spoke the oath to all
I listened hard when the judge said "it was bad"
but I stood up proud an' tall,
My lawyer was good but he also understood
what a fit up that this was
I was going down without a doubt
an' the reason is because,
I was in the wrong place at the wrong time
just a victim of circumstances
I know how it goes, life's good an' woe's
full of different chances.
John Mcleod
Author note; I wrote this after reading in the newspaper that a chap was going down for murder, the only evidence that there was, was a piece of hair on one of his jumpers. The lawyers say that there is a good chance that this hair could of been in contact with the jumper when it was taken in. Perhaps he was guilty? Perhaps he was not? But surely there should be more evidence?. I hate killers, I hate anyone that takes another life, but I also want to see proof that is totally without a doubt linked 100% to the killer.
OK! Perhaps I have got it wrong and missed some vital piece of new evidence, but I still have a valid point I think. I have read many time about people going down for crimes that are based on the flimsiest piece of evidence, we should be sure.....WE SHOULD BE VERY SURE!
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I agree about the world and law courts judging many inocent people for crimes they have not committed and letting the quilty go. Good poem with alot of thought provoking truths.
Well written with valid points. It's sad to know that our justice system is in bad need of some revising....no one innocent should ever have to suffer like that. Well spoken!
Having myself been similarly victimized by a political scheme in the Florida keys, I can't help but wonder how many innocents are sent off to jail to satisfy someone(s) in power. The adversarial judicial system itself is quite sick. Someone's life hangs in the balance while two attorneys battle to see who's smarter. Is that justice?
What was it that the carnival barkers always said as they took your money to try to win a kewpie doll? "Ya pays your money, ya takes your chance!"
One would hope that people of reason might have a little more than a hair to send a man away for life, but with the public outcry to maintain law and order, prosecutors are often required (by politically ambitious regimes) to go to court with far less evidence than they may be personally comfortable with. A dear friend of mine is a prosecutor for the district attorney's office here, and he often speaks of this subject. Truly sad... Good write, John.
As for the reason you wrote this, my brother was one that you write of....and thank God (literally) we managed to prove that he wasn't the one who did the hit'n'run. Long and short, circumstantial evidence placed him there. I had solid proof he wasn't. Still...for awhile we were all sweating hard that he would be pulled in and charged with a crime he didn't commit.
In Canada, we've had a couple recent cases where after 15-20 yrs, a couple different men were released after DNA proved they didn't do the crime. It totally ruined their lives. And in both cases, it was circumstantial evidence that placed them behind bars.
With this man, I hope that it gets figured beyond doubt whether he did or didn't. One hair shouldn't be enough to send him off.
Wow, John, like everyone else so far, I thought this was about you! Thank heavens it's not. I agree, though, there has to be hard evidence before someone goes to jail and/or gets executed. Jackie
John thank God you put yor author's note in there.. I read it several times before seeing the note, nearly having heart failure thinking this was your personal experience!!!!! Well, though, your point is valid and well met. It's scary to think of how many have been falsely imprisoned and sometimes executed. It's scary to imagine oneself in those circumstances. "There but for fortune..."
Welcome !
