If you want to know how to survive in prison or county jail as an innocent man, you must be aware about how the criminal justice system works. Before getting into jail, a person should know how to defend himself, and the what-to-do’s when being interrogated.
When someone is accused of a crime he did not commit, a public attorney should be provided for his defense. The accused should stay calm, and just focus on the evidence that he was not in the crime scene the day the crime was committed. He may request for a forensic expert’s advice or investigation, while being in prison.
There are excusable criteria in determining the innocence of a man. These include the mental capacity, the proof, mistaken identity. Mentally incapable individuals may be transferred to a psychiatric unit when intensive psychiatric tests reveal that the person has mental incapacity. The proof can be misleading in that it can be an object used for the frame-up. An officer may force a drug dealer to sell drugs, and if he fails to do it, he may be accused of a crime he did not do.
Thinking about how to survive in prison or county jail as an innocent man is the one thing that the falsely accused can do, either temporarily or for a long period of time. It happens in real life that the witness is paid to testify wrongly against the target. This witness may be a former criminal, or knows how the justice system works. The witness may also falsely accuse someone who has close resemblance to the perpetrator.
Self-defense may be used to change the story in that the perpetrator can become the victim, and eventually accuse the victim to be the perpetrator. Other states accept self-defense as an excuse for committing a crime. As anyone would expect, this is a double-edged sword. Without proper investigation and with an unfair justice system, an innocent man can live most of his life in prison.
The innocent man charged for a crime may have his mind clouded with thoughts of betrayal. While in prison for a long time, he must think of how to survive in prison or county jail as an innocent man. In prison, there are no friends, only strangers who can be an ally or an opponent. That one thing that will keep the prisoner going is family and friend support. Prisoners can only know what’s going on outside through the news on television and through interactions with their loved ones.
It is not yet the end of the case they are involved with. They need to have people, funds, and proof that they are innocent, so they will be acquitted of the crime they are accused of. When their efforts turn to failure, they must have words they can live by. These words can be from the Bible that they could request from a loved one. These words will help in maintaining good beliefs and keep them sane while imprisoned.
Knowing the Rights of the Accused
It is more difficult to find resources for defense while imprisoned. However, knowing the rights of the accused, which are under the US Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, can help the defendant to exercise his rights. The presumption of innocence states that one is innocent until proven guilty, and the presentation and collection of evidences in the committal of crime is the burden of the prosecution. Failure to prove the crime with the presentation of proof may mean that the defendant has chances to be acquitted because of the remaining reasonable doubt.
Under the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution, it is clearly stated that the defendant cannot be tried twice for the same crime, even if the prosecution was able to find stronger evidence. Even if the defendant chooses not to present any witness, it will not affect the jury’s study of the case. The case should be studied based on the evidence presented. The Fifth Amendment also states that the accused has the right to a grand jury, which determines if the prosecution has sufficient evidence to have the accused be brought to the trial.
The rights of the accused cover the right to a fair trial, to know the nature of the accusation, to obtain a witness and to have a counsel. Of those rights of the accused, the right to counsel seems to have the most impact on the criminal defendant. It somehow makes one know ways on how to survive in prison or county jail as an innocent man, if he is sure to receive such assistance from a reliable counsel. The counsel should be free of conflict of interests and should not represent any organization or business other than the defendant. The conflict of interest can only affect the counsel’s decision to support the defendant in the case.
If the accused faces more than a year of imprisonment, or he is already imprisoned, the government should provide a counsel for him. It can be expensive to retain a counsel for a long period of time. However, the accused may want to be represented by a counsel of his own choice if he is able to shoulder the expenses. It still depends on the justice system whether or not to provide an appointed counsel, so the accused should not be too reliant on the government. It depends on the crime he is accused of.
The Eight Amendment of the US Constitution states that there should be no excessive bail or fines imposed, and no cruel punishments inflicted on the accused, meaning torture or other injurious practices are outlawed.
The speedy trial seems impossible to achieve in some cases due to the way the justice system prioritizes them. But while the case is still in process, the accused should be encouraged to know how to survive in prison or county jail as an innocent man and how to fully exercise his rights as a citizen. Fundamental rights apply in most situations the accused faces, so it is important for him to know the constitution well.
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