Preaching to the choir

In an interesting contrast to the Tim Masters case, Here is the story of a California man who was awarded $1.3 million in damages by a civil jury. This man, though, was never wrongly convicted of any crime. He was only wrongly charged with murder, a charge that kept him in jail for 8 months. He was able to sue the police because from the day he was arrested, he provided an alibi, complete with cell phone records that verified he was at work at a home some distance from the crime scene when the murder happened. Somehow, though, the police took 8 months to recognize the air-tightness of the alibi.

I've written before about what a profound impact even a few days in jail can have on someone who is wrongly charged, so I have no complaint with a verdict in favor of this man. A person can lose a job just by having to wait 4 days before being able to make bail. I can only imagine the devestating effects 8 months in jail on a wrongful murder charge can have: lost job, lost home or apartment, lost car due to missed payments. One's credit could take a tremendous hit from all the missed electric, cable, and phone bills if the wrongfully incarcerated didn't have a dutiful friend or family member who could take on those responsibilities.

So I say bravo to this successful plaintiff in California. Perhaps if juries start awarding money to some of these people, police will work a little faster to charge the right guy, not just the first guy they investigate.