School: A Sad Story

This is Alan Crotzer, who was convicted of sexual battery, kidnapping, and robbery when he was twenty years old. The family of his codefendants didn't think he did it. And there were quite a few problems with the identification methods the police used in the case. But he was put in jail nonetheless.

For nearly 25 years, Crotzer maintained his innocence. Fortunately, he managed to get advanced DNA testing with the help of to conclusively prove he was not the one who committed the crime. Exonerated, he now helps others in his position and is lobbying to get compensated for all the time he spent in prison (1.2 million - or roughly $50,000 for every year incarcerated).

I can't help but ask myself the question - can money even repay the harm down to this man? When he got out of jail, he literally couldn't wash his hands; he had never seen automatic faucets before. He was obviously going to have a hard time finding a job, at middle age with no work experience or education to speak of. And all because of a mistake.

Mr. Crotzer spoke to us in our Evidence class, and now I've told his story here. Take from it what you will - whether it's that no justice system is perfect, or that sometimes things are not what they seem, or that you should never give up hope.