(no subject)

[dreamer_easy]

DNA evidence is increasingly be used to free innocent people from prison, often men wrongly convicted of rape. (Bizarrely, anti-feminists claim this is evidence that women lie about rape.) Less high-profile are cases where criminals are being caught thanks to DNA evidence, as in the conviction of the rapist and murderer of Johanne Hatty, after twenty years.

Comments

[qthewetsprocket.livejournal.com]

there was recently a similar case here in the pacific northwest, when the waste of space who murdered mia zapata got caught with his chromosomes down. yay science.

also, i'm liking the online news trend of including a photo of the victim, not the killer. i wish tv news would follow suit.

[jvowles.livejournal.com]

People (regardless of sex) lie about things all the time, for all sorts of reasons. Why would this situation be any different?

I'll admit to being confused here -- if the DNA evidence clearly shows that THAT GUY was *not* the one who raped a woman, there are only a few options.

Option one is that the woman was mistaken. Lots of reasons why that might happen.

Option two is that the woman was lying -- and it is an option that seems more likely if there are anger issues between the parties involved. Why assume that this is NEVER the case?

In either case, the man is out a life due to a rape conviction he wasn't guilty of.

[thegameiam.livejournal.com]

In the US, the big cognition which people seem to be really understanding is how poor eyewitness identifications are, even in cases where (one might think) that the victim could have gotten a good look at her attacker.

I'm thrilled that DNA evidence is freeing the unjustly jailed, and capturing those who have until now escaped punishment.