How have so many innocent citizens been convicted beyond a reasonable doubt?
The concept of innocent until proven guilty is the essential foundation for justice. It shields those accused of a crime from being treated guilty until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. It is crucial for ensuring a fair trial, the integrity of the justice system and also respecting the human dignity of those accused of a crime.
The Fifth Amendment has the most important protections in the Constitution. It was intended to safeguard against a tyrannical government. The Fourteenth Amendment guarantees equal protection, due process and the privileges and immunities of American citizens.
If we as American citizens are presumed innocent until proven guilty, how have so many innocent citizens been convicted beyond a reasonable doubt?
According to the National Registry for Exonerations, faulty forensics play a major role in causing known wrongful convictions in the United States. As of August 2020, the Innocence Project data base shows 380 people who had been exonerated by DNA testing, 173 (45%) whom had “invalidated or improper forensic science as a contributing cause.” The National Registry of Exonerations, a data base managed by the Newkirk Center for Science and Society at the University of California at Irvine, the University of Michigan Law School and Michigan State University College of Law lists 2,657 exonerations occurring between 1989 and August 2020, 24% of it’s exonerations showing “False or Misleading Forensic Evidence” as a contributing factor.
One of the many examples of broken justice is the case of Ricky Kidd who spent 23 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit while the real ones guilty of the murders went free.
Even though he was applying for a gun permit at the sheriffs office at the time of the murders, he was arrested based on a phone tip. In 2009 the man who called in the tip confessed it was Mr. Goodspeed Sr. and Jr. that had committed the murders. The county prosecutor claimed there wasn’t enough evidence to convict the Goodspeeds, but there was enough to convict an innocent man.
Another stolen innocent life was Mr. Luther Jones of Lake County. He was accused by his 10-year-old stepdaughter of sexually abusing her. Mr. Jones told the jury the mother had her daughter lie about him because she wanted custody of their 20-yea-old daughter. A year later a physician testified there was evidence of sexual abuse. Eighteen years later the stepdaughter admitted her mother had her lie. Mr. Jones was released from prison badly neglected and very ill. He died 10 months after being released. His daughter that was 2 years old at the time had to grow up without knowing her father and ending up in foster care. He was convicted with no DNA evidence, on a false or misleading forensic interview with the stepdaughter and poor or negligent investigating.
Sources: Sources: The National Registry for Exonerations, The Innocence Project, Criminal Legal News
—Silvana Lombardi, Lucerne
Douglas Harris believes reelecting him is the right choice for Yuba Community College District Board of Trustees
My campaign for re-election to the Yuba Community College District Board of Trustees is all about building on the progress made in the past two years revitalizing the Lake County Campus in Clearlake. Anyone who follows the campus has seen how, under previous administrations, it was diminished.
When I joined the Board in 2022, it was my clear intent to restore the campus connection and relevance to Lake County communities. Starting in about 2015, vacancies in both faculty and classified staff remained unfilled, limiting the ability to promote enrollment and sustain programs. The Covid pandemic accelerated this decline. Main campus administrators argued positions could only be refilled if enrollment increased, while withholding the resources needed to promote the campus and increase enrollment.
Reliance on interim administrators at the top of the organization stood in the way of change for a significant period of time. With my deep involvement, the college recruited permanent Vice Presidents and recently a permanent Dean of the Lake County Campus.
A new direction for our campus is the result. Several faculty and classified positions have been restored. Local supports for students have increased. Resources have been devoted to outreach in the community. Declining enrollment from the pandemic is being reversed. Very recently dual enrollments of Lower Lake and Middletown High School students have jumped significantly. A modern electronic sign at the campus, more meetings of the Board of Trustees in Lake County, a new local campus advisory board that is officially an auxiliary to the District Foundation, Lake County representation on the Foundation Board, and other initiatives, point to a renewed commitment to our campus.
The current faculty and staff at the Lake Campus are nearly unanimous in supporting me, as are former Deans. The full list is long and indicates those with the most at stake believe in my leadership.
In contrast, my opponent’s signs refer to a November 8 election. His website lists an address and area code for him in Nevada. At a recent forum, he made baseless and disproven statements about District finances. He stated the campus Dean position disappeared, only to change his statement when corrected. He fixated on trivialities. He now claims to know of a plan to close the Lake County Campus, providing links to news coverage of two meetings. Those links reveal my involvement in a local movement urging expansion and reinvigoration of the campus as I have described above. My opponent’s campaign relies on inaccurate, irrelevant, and unhelpful disinformation.
You have a choice between experience and success promoting local vocational and higher education opportunities on one hand, and a lack of understanding and seriousness on the other. I would be honored to have your vote on November 5
—Douglas M. Harris, Trustee – Yuba Community College District – Area 7
