I am unsure about others but sometimes i will look at the legal ads here, those seeking help proclaiming their innocence. I read about incompetent attorney's, Police brutality, evidence withheld at trial, falsified witness testimony, DNA testing that is not conclusive and more. While i do not believe all are innocent, i understand a little more than i once did so know their could be truth behind some of what is shared.

Can you imagine being convicted of a crime, yet not taking part in that crime and sitting in prison for days, weeks, months and eventually year upon year shouting, writing and doing all in your power to be heard, yet no one will take the time to listen? I know this is not the majority and for some, well..... maybe some Karma is catching up, yet i cannot help but think how would i feel? I guess much like i sometimes think of all the victims, their families and friends that endure what comes with crime. The more i try to understand life and those who live it, the more i am confused.......... Does anyone else look at the legal ads, or do you give them a wide berth believing it is all BS? What are your thoughts, if any?

I do look and read but personally have never responded to anyone who claims innocence. I have mostly written to penpals over the years who say, I was stupid and I want to do good thing now etc.

However, I often think about spending time in prison for something that has nothing to do with me. Especially if it is a horrific crime and everyone thinks your guilty it must be torture.

Especially if that crime had to do with murdering your own child, or sexual abuse of a minor, let alone your own as i read tonight. It is one thing for the world to believe you are guilty but to live inside prison with no escape and receive the treatment you often do would be almost unbearable, no wonder so many take their life inside of prison.

Sometimes when I read through people's legal profiles, it's easy for them to make it look one sided, but if you look up the facts of the case you can see what's BS and what isn't. I'm one of those people that google before I write. So when I was actively looking for someone to write, and if they claimed innocence on their profile or claimed that their sentence was excessive, I'm immediately a little bit skeptical but then I research what I can beforehand. I'd rather write people who say "I did what I did, but I've learned and have grown from it" but the system isn't perfect, so some do fall through the cracks and become victims themselves.

One of my PPs, he isn't a chior boy, and he admits to what he has done, and what he has been guilty of, but he states that right now he's doing a long sentence for a crime he didn't commit. I didn't take his word for it at first, but after reading court documents and trial transcripts, I truly do believe he's innocent of the crime he's been charged with. It's hard for him to sit in there feeling like life is passing him by, and he's there for something he didn't even do. Some days are worse than others, but he says it like this "Although I was found guilty of a crime I didn't commit, I see this as a price I eventually had to pay one day.. 'Cause God knows how many times I got away."

I research and I Google before i write, I know its not fair that my ppals can't Google me but I do it to protect myself a little; if they don't want to be honest with themselves then how can they be honest with me. The profile makes a lot of difference to me, if the they admit they have been stupid and are trying to make amends that means more than someone who does not make any mention of their past.

Originally Posted by smiley

Can you imagine being convicted of a crime, yet not taking part in that crime and sitting in prison for days, weeks, months and eventually year upon year shouting, writing and doing all in your power to be heard, yet no one will take the time to listen? I know this is not the majority and for some, well..... maybe some Karma is catching up, yet i cannot help but think how would i feel?

This is the part that I have the most problem with. It is the wasted time that inmates who eventually ARE found innocent and have been made to sit in prison waiting for someone to look though their case, read an appeal and put the pieces together. For a lot of inmates that can be years. While I'm sure that some people are compensated for that I would guarantee that if justice were as swift as it is when charged with a crime that most of these people would waive their right to sue if their appeals were sent through the courts faster. One person waited 4 years after he obtained the evidence of his innocence for the courts to hear it.

One of my pen pals put in his Federal appeal 1 1/2 years ago. Having to sit there day after day after day must be excruciating especially if YOU know you are innocent.

Originally Posted by lukelinks

I do look and read but personally have never responded to anyone who claims innocence.

Good evening, and hello all. My first post here so please excuse me.

I want to tell you a quick story about me. No big deal.

In 2004, I was still in the military and got popped on a "whiz quiz" where you have to provide a urine sample for random drug testing. I pissed "hot", meaning the cocaine levels in my body tripped the alarms. The "low" level limit was 105 and I tested a 106. The military re-tested my urine and determined my level was 114.

I went through a court martial (think of the court scene from 'A Few Good Men') and and was finally found 'Not Guilty'.

You know why I went through all of that? My dentist prescribed me gum numbing toothpaste that was based off Lidocaine, which is a Cocaine derivative.

I almost went to jail for 4 years because of my toothpaste.

Had it gone wrong, I might be the one requesting letters.

So, please: Ignore the Guilt/Innocence angle, and just be the most awesome pen pal you can be!

No, I don't think the legal ads are all BS and that all prisoners are guilty but on a personal note I do not write to people with legal ads because I have nothing to give as far as legal knowledge, time, or money to put towards that. If they are in a life where most of their time and energy will go towards their case then I know I'm not the person for them but I wish them luck of course, if they are indeed innocent

Originally Posted by MyMyselfAndI

Good evening, and hello all. My first post here so please excuse me.

I want to tell you a quick story about me. No big deal.

In 2004, I was still in the military and got popped on a "whiz quiz" where you have to provide a urine sample for random drug testing. I pissed "hot", meaning the cocaine levels in my body tripped the alarms. The "low" level limit was 105 and I tested a 106. The military re-tested my urine and determined my level was 114.

I went through a court martial (think of the court scene from 'A Few Good Men') and and was finally found 'Not Guilty'.

You know why I went through all of that? My dentist prescribed me gum numbing toothpaste that was based off Lidocaine, which is a Cocaine derivative.

I almost went to jail for 4 years because of my toothpaste.

Had it gone wrong, I might be the one requesting letters.

So, please: Ignore the Guilt/Innocence angle, and just be the most awesome pen pal you can be!

Thanks for sharing your story and you are right, no matter what a person has or hasn't done or been convicted of we should always give them our very best but my questions was how do people "feel" meaning do they care, is it ever in their thought process etc, not to judge another by their actions or lack of.

Just as in prisoners, do you think when exposed to life stories we too grow to be indifferent when we hear another plight or cry for help?

I am not sure what you mean by "feel". The two people I have chosen to befriend as pen pals have said that they are innocent. I KNOW that this is not a popular thing and have been publicly chastised on this forum for supporting/believing that my pen pals are innocent. This does not make me believe any less that they are. Call me naive or stupid but I choose to believe. I actually "feel" that they are telling me the truth. I've done research on their cases as well but I don't have the knowledge or the funds to be actually certain. I don't think I need to though. I chose to be one of the people that believes that they are not guilty of the crime that they were convicted of. I know they aren't angels because as I've said before it wouldn't of been so easy to convict them. Do I believe in Karma? I don't think human beings should be responsible for delivering Karma. Only God has that right. Our justice system has to be based around evidence and honesty. It is flawed and I've seen proof of that. I certainly can understand where some members have believed in someone's innocence and they have found out later that they were lying. That would be tough to overcome I'll admit. But just because it happened to you doesn't mean everyone that says they are innocent is not. If choosing pen pals that I believe are innocent puts myself in a bad light in this forum then so be it. I have no regrets and will defend them until it is proven otherwise. Even if I found out that they were indeed guilty I would never persuade another member from believing in someone's innocence because of my experience.