Crossing the Line

People get what’s coming to them, or at least that has seemed to be the case in most situations i've seen, so how is it the good guys always still seem to finish last? In Thin Blue Line, a man named Randall Adams is wrongly accused of murdering a police officer and left to fend for himself in prison. Errol Morris, the director shows facts and evidence to prove Adam’s innocence.

In reality the murder was committed by a 16 year old boy, who isn’t quite old enough to face the death penalty. No one can prove whether the wrongful conviction was just a hastened attempt to find justice for the price of an innocent police officers life, or if the prosecutor, while wrong, was just incredibly skilled at his job.

It amazes me how someone can live with themselves after taking away years of a man’s life, especially considering there was no evidence to prove Adam’s was guilty. Everyone who was involved from the young boy who actually did commit the murder, to the couple that testified against him, and the prosecutor himself all played a part in the downward spiral of Randall’s life.

What sets this film apart from others is the hazy line between fact and fiction that Morris creates with the use of re-enactments. The viewer would never have glimpse into history.

How something like this could slip between the cracks of justice, im not quite sure. In a nation where were supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, it makes me wonder if everyone is being judged fairly, and how many other cases are out there that are like Randalls. So I decided to do a little research of my own.

DeWayne Mckinney spent 19 years in prison after being accused of murdering a Burger king manager in Southern California. A murder that McKinney swore he didn’t commit. Two decades later, and McKinney was released back into society with only an apology from the state. McKinney died in 2008 from a Mo-Ped accident. Almost half of his life was spent serving time for a crime he didn’t commit.

What steps could our judicial system take to ensure that stories like these are avoided. What can we as a society do to encourage that these actions are being taken. I know that if I was on the other side of that thin blue line, I would hope someone would stand up to protect me, and fight for my innocence much like Morris did for Adams.