How a ’50s-Era New York Knife Law Has Landed Thousands in Jail

Re:How a ’50s-Era New York Knife Law Has Landed Thousands in... by newsmania on Saturday September 30, 2017 @09:58AM (#15372869)

Cops get a bad rap, but the DAs haven’t come under fire. They knowingly ruin many many more innocent lives than cops. And unlike cops who may shoot in a poor split second decision, DAs knowingly and willingly destroy the lives of the innocent for their own personal gain. It’s time we put blame where it is due.

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Re:How a ’50s-Era New York Knife Law Has Landed Thousands in... by maxxxxx on Saturday September 30, 2017 @02:48PM (#15374397)

I have read quite a bit about innocent people who were convicted and later released. In pretty much every story the prosecution kept fighting to the end even against overwhelming evidence. Only one prosecutor apologized to the exonerated person.

I don't know what the culture is in prosecutors' offices but it seems they have lost touch with common sense and the real purpose of their work.

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Re:How a ’50s-Era New York Knife Law Has Landed Thousands in... by empath75 on Saturday September 30, 2017 @08:14PM (#15375697)

https://www.stlmag.com/longform/pam-hupp/ Here’s a recent example.

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Re:How a ’50s-Era New York Knife Law Has Landed Thousands in... by everybodyknows on Saturday September 30, 2017 @02:41PM (#15374347)

DAs are rewarded for convictions, the heavier the charge the better. Police are rewarded for arrests.

Only one of those two drops the blight of a criminal record onto someone's future.

What we as citizens can do is demand that elected officials hold DAs accountable for their wrongful convictions.

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Re:How a ’50s-Era New York Knife Law Has Landed Thousands in... by curun1r on Saturday September 30, 2017 @07:46PM (#15375595)

> What we as citizens can do is demand that elected officials hold DAs accountable for their wrongful convictions

Way to pass the buck. In 47 states, district attorney is an elected office, not an appointment. If we want better behavior from district attorneys, we need citizens to be better at monitoring that behavior and holding them accountable.

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Re:How a ’50s-Era New York Knife Law Has Landed Thousands in... by emn13 on Saturday September 30, 2017 @05:17PM (#15375032)

Given the injustice of justice, "wrongful" won't do much. "Unreasonable" would be a better standard.

E.g.: have a retrospective sample of cases analyzed and ranked by independent reviewers; punish those deemed unreasonable; reward those deemed reasonable (explicitly regardless of the law at hand).

Better yet, fine lawmakers that voted for laws involved in the convictions. Doesn't have to be a lot.

Good luck with that ;-).

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Re:How a ’50s-Era New York Knife Law Has Landed Thousands in... by huffmsa on Saturday September 30, 2017 @10:22AM (#15372948)

Meanwhile, all of the officers involved are probably carrying a fully automatic knife as part of their kit.

Parity

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