by Stella Kaye

Created on: December 28, 2007   Last Updated: January 25, 2009

INNOCENT BUT INCARCERATED

This is happening right now in the UK but from what I have read, I know the same is happening in the US.

Part of the reason why our prisons are full to overflowing is because the Criminal Justice System is seriously flawed and requires a complete overhaul. Too many innocent people are being convicted. Why won't the Criminal Justice System, the Parole Board and the Prison and Probation Services recognise that wrongful convictions can and do happen? No human institution is totally infallible.

Innocent people are being convicted as a result of police trawling methods and guaranteed anonymity of the so-called victim. The real criminals often know how to cover their tracks but innocent victims of injustice are being imprisoned every day as they are provided with no adequate means of proving their innocence when so many lies have been believed and they can find no evidence to the contrary. It is almost impossible to prove you haven't committed a crime when several others say you have. If you are innocent it is easy to think that the truth will be your best defence and the justice system will treat you fairly but once you get to court you will soon realise how wrong you were.

The Jury is presented with nothing but lies... you are not allowed a proper defence... all the people who can testify to your innocence are excluded, with the excuse that there was not enough legal funding, so there is a conviction purely on the basis of hearsay and the collaboration of liars eager for compensation.

Our prisons here in the UK are being stretched to capacity. There are even purpose-built prison ships ready for use - huge, ugly monstrosities that look like floating breeze blocks with windows on the outside. And now due to the controversial I.P.P. sentence which was introduced in 2005 (Indeterminate Sentence for Public Protection) a prisoner can be detained for up to 99 years! This is no exaggeration. There is no provision within the system for such long term imprisonment for the guilty - let alone the innocent.

There is only a faint hope of parole for an innocent person in prison who maintains that innocence as they are said to be 'In denial' and are seen by the prison and probation authorities as not addressing their 'Offending behaviour.' It can mean that they may never be released even if they are completely innocent! These unfortunate victims of injustice tend to fare far worse than the guilty and are often subjected to coercive and underhand tactics in

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