Quote:
Originally Posted by Happy Camper
I am not asking for myself, but in general I would like to know what it is like for those that go through this.
Specifically, those that never get their conviction overturned, and those that did not lose large chunks of their life to hard time, but still may have been slandered, had their reputation destroyed, and certain freedoms taken.
or individuals that did 15+years in prison getting exonerated. So what about these other unfortunates that we never hear about? |
I see you are in the USA. if your person you are asking for is also in the USA the justice system does all people who have been wrongly convicted a way to over turn that conviction and remove it from their records.
its called "Expungement" thats a long process where the wrongfully accused, and wrongfully convicted can petition the court for a review of their case to have the crime and judgement removed from their files. if the court agrees that the person was wrongfully convicted based on the evidence, the court orders all parties involved are to shred their files about the case and remove all paper/ computer trails concerning the case.
then on background checks the conviction no longer comes up.
its a very long process and each state has strict rules for when expungement can happen.
my suggestion tell your friend to contact their lawyer that they had during the trial. that lawyer can advise them on all the legalities that need to be covered in order for their wrongful conviction to be expunged.
I have not gone through this but have been on the paper trail of helping others go through this.
its an extremely long process, sometimes can take many years which is why most wrongfully convicted people have their lawyers petition for "reviews" and a new trial of release based on technicality.
once released on technicality they can petition for a new trial to clear their name and records.