Topical Blog due Thursday 4/25 @ midnight

Conviction was a very emotional movie. Like a lot of the other movies we have watched for class, Conviction shows how the court system can be flawed. This film in specific demonstrates how an innocent man can be sent to prison on a murder charge. What is most aggravating about this film is that the factors that led to his wrongful conviction were very political. It wasn’t the jury’s fault that he was sent to prison. From the evidence that was presented in court I would imagine that most jurors would have decided on a guilty verdict. The problem arose because the convincing evidence presented in court was faulty and biased against the defendant Kenneth Waters.

One of the faulty pieces of evidence that was presented in Kenneth’s case was eyewitness testimony. We have discussed in class that eyewitness misidentification is the leading cause in wrongful convictions, playing a role in over 75% of the cases that have been overturned by DNA evidence. Unfortunately, eyewitness testimony was probably the most compelling evidence presented in Kenneth’s trial. This evidence was what sealed Kenneth’s fate into a guilty verdict. As we know however, the eyewitness’s were coerced into testifying on false information. Why would eyewitnesses be willing to give false testimony, especially when they know it could result in sending an innocent man to prison? This is where psychology comes into play. Just as we talked earlier in the course about the police getting innocent people to confess to crimes they didn’t commit, the police are also able to make eyewitnesses say something they didn’t actually see or hear. The main tactic used is fear. By instilling a sense of fear into the eyewitnesses, the police were able to get what they wanted from them. The police also lied and said that they could charge them as an accomplice. In all reality, the police would not have been able to actually charge them with anything. The police are really messing with their emotions and making them believe false information.

Kenneth’s sister went through a lot of schooling so that she was able to serve as her brother’s attorney. Obviously, this took a long time and while she was doing this her brother was locked up in a maximum security prison. There was one point in the film that I was starting to believe that Kenneth had actually committed the murder he was serving time for. I started believing it because I think that Kenneth was also starting to believe it. You could see how hesitant he was to take the blood test so that the DNA could be matched up to the crime scene evidence. He was scared the results would come back as a match. He even asked his sister, “Well what if I did kill her”. I think that serving time in prison throughout the whole process had had some of its own psychological implications on Kenneth’s mind. If it wasn’t for his sister, I think he would have stopped fighting for his freedom because he no longer believed he deserved it.

This ordeal with trying to prove Kenneth’s innocence caused a lot of stress for everyone in the film. It caused Betty Ann to get divorced and for her sons to move in with their dad. It also meant that Kenneth’s daughter grew up thinking that her father was a murderer. I’m sure it took a lot of hard work for Betty Ann to stay on her path towards law school, and I’m sure it was extremely difficult for Kenneth’s daughter to reaccept her father as the man he really is. I bet a lot of them are going to need counseling for the crazy stuff that has happened in their lives. So stress is another psychological implication dealt with in this film. Coercion of the eyewitness is another big way that psychology plays a role. And finally, psychological plays a role in Kenneth because he was started to believe that he had done something wrong.

I found the movie, Conviction, to be incredible. I love movies that are based on a true story. Betty Anne Waters was so dedicated to her family and to her brother that she gave up a lot of things in her life to help fight for his freedom. She believed her brother was innocent, and went to school, and passed the BAR exam in order to become an attorney to represent him. Due to her hard work, she was able to find evidence that found her brother not guilty of murder and allowed him to be released from prison.

One thing that I found really interesting was the role of the Innocence Project in this movie. Before taking this course, I was not aware of the work of the Innocence Project, so I found it really interesting that it was featured in a movie. As we learned in class, the Innocence Project committee reviewed the Waters case to determine if it had enough backing to be worked on. After finding the evidence from the trial, they were able to use DNA testing to prove that Kenneth did not commit the murder he had been convicted of.

An aspect of this film that relates to psychology and to our class discussions was the eyewitness testimony. During the trial it seemed as though Kenny was proud of committing the murder, and openly told people about it. Later on during the investigation done by Betty Anne, it was found that the testimonies had been coerced. The police had made, what appeared to be threats, to the witnesses. They threatened to take away children, and made the witnesses afraid that what happened to the victim could also happen to them or their family members. These threats convinced the witnesses that if they did not testify to exactly what the police told them to, they or their family members may be harmed. This type of fear is again present when Betty Anne and her co-workers interview a woman who had testified. This woman told them of the threats they had been told and how she had felt guilty for what happened. When asked if she would sign a paper detailing her statement, she refused because she didn’t want to be found guilty of perjury. The fear of legal consequence kept her from doing the right thing of multiple occasions.

Another aspect of the movie that portrays the intersection of psychology and law that we have discussed in class is the way in which the police and detectives handled the search for a suspect. The officer, Nancy Taylor, was convinced that Kenny committed the murder. She had him arrested previously for the crime, but there was not enough evidence to prove that Kenny did it. Instead of searching for another suspect, she kept on Kenny, doing everything she could to prove that Kenny was the perpetrator. She even took part in obtaining coerced eyewitness testimonies. We discussed in class that sometimes when police or detective are sure that they have the person who committed the crime, they put on blinders that prevents them from seeking other suspects.

During the movie, Kenny had tried to harm himself. He kept telling Betty Anne that he could not spend his life in prison. It was easy to see that the prison atmosphere was taking a psychological toll on him. When Betty Anne told him that she was going to fight for him, it gave him some hope that he might not be in prison forever. It also gave him the assurance that at least one other person believed that he was not guilty. In class we also discussed the situation in which why someone would confess to a crime they did not commit. We listened to a show in which a boy was accused of hurting or killing his sister. Eventually during the interrogation, he began to believe that it was possible that he had committed the crime. This same thing happened with Kenny. He refused to do a DNA test because he was convinced that it would prove that he was guilty. After being in prison for such a long time, it would be understandable that he would come to believe that he was in there for a reason.

Additionally, Kenny’s daughter had been told her whole life that her dad was guilty of a crime and was serving time for it. Even once the evidence has proven that he dad did not commit the crime, she does not want to see him. Psychologically, she cannot wrap her mind around the thought that her dad was innocent. After a lifetime of living without a father, believing him to be a murderer, and knowing she would never be able to see him, all of this knowledge fades.

I really enjoyed this movie. I think that it was a great portrayal of how the legal system is not perfect and innocent people are convicted.

Conviction told a great true story and shows just how our justice system can be corrupt at times. I had never seen this movie before but I enjoyed it. I found it incredible that Betty Ann went through all that work to get her brother out. I'd like to say that I would do the same thing but its such a big sacrifice like her boys said towards the end of the movie. She sacrificed her marriage and her boys ended up moving in with their father, she had to go back and get her GED then college degree then on to law school. To be able to keep the faith and will power to keep going through all those years would be challenging.
I found it interesting how easy it was for Betty Ann to contact the Innocence Project. Also how they made the whole process very smooth. I'm sure they have hundreds of requests for help but in the movie it seemed like it went very fast and then her brother was let out. I'm sure this was more exaggerated in the movie than it really is in real life but it was nice to be able to see an example of the type of work they do and that it really is a beneficial program.
When Kenny was taken to the police station initially by the police woman I had a bad feeling about her from the start. I know that cops can ask you to come down to the station and question you and everything but it seemed like the second she say him she was out to get him. And after two years when they did finally arrest him she said something along the lines of "we got you now" which shows that she did her homework in doing what she needed to get him. This included the testimonies from the two females. The female cop and another cop took the ex lover of kennys to a hotel got her drinking and told her what she was going to say when she testified. They also told her that if she didnt that she could be arrested as an accesory and that her daughter could be taken away, or she and her family could be hurt. The method of scaring/coercing people the police use is definitely unfair as we have seen multiple cases in class about getting false confessions. The ex girlfriend that testified was being coerced by her boyfriend at the time so they could get money from the police. I think its crazy that she could send the father of her child to prison for life just so her and her boyfriend could get money.
During the trial the testimonies had a major impact not the case I believe, but other than that the only things that really were against him seemed so vague. First the fact that when Betty Ann and Kenny were little kids they broke into the victims house. That happened twenty years prior and they weren't even breaking in to do damage or anything against her they just wanted some place to escape. Next, the fact that kennys blood was type O and so was the perpetrator. O is the most common type of blood so this seems like it shouldn't have had that much weight put on it. Lastly, Kenny was known around town as having a temper sometimes. Other than that there was no reason why Kenny would kill that woman.
After so many years spent in prison you could tell that it was definitely having a negative impact on Kenny. He even tried to kill himself at one point. This upset Betty Ann and this is when she decided that she was going to go back to school. I found it interesting that after a while Kenny started thinking that he actually did kill that woman. He even asked Betty Ann what if i did kill her at one point. Also he wouldn't allow them to get DNA from him because he was worried that it would come back as a match with the killer. This just shows how being isolated and in prison can have such a huge impact on you psychologically.
When Kenny was finally proven that he was innocent and Betty Ann went to go tell his daughter about it she was completely against it because she has grown up her whole life believing that her father was a murderer because of what her mother has told her. I think it was really hard for her to come to the understanding that her father really was a good guy and that he was innocent.
After watching this movie I have learned more about the flaws in our justice system. I hope that someday more people will become more educated on problems like this that happen so we can eventually prevent innocent people from being convicted of crimes and spending their life in prison.

Of all the movies we have watched this past semester "Conviction" held my attention the most. I thought this movie was great and knowing that it is based on a true story makes it even more unreal. The fact that a woman spent 18 years of her life to get her brother out of jail is amazing. She did all this work only because she believed her brother to be innocent; not because of any piece of evidence but only on what she felt.

This film relates an incredible amount to my book report on BTK. The movie deals with the ongoing Innocence Project and DNA testing. Dennis Rader was only finally convicted because DNA evidence finally came around and someone took the time to look back at the unsolved BTK murder cases. I find it interesting not how much work she had to go through but how many hoops Betty Anne Waters had to jump through. The perseverance she displayed when time after time she was shut down and told she had no case, there was no evidence, etc. Betty Anne worked her life and marriage away for her brother's innocence. The sacrifices she made are incredible and not many people would do the same, including the conversation her own sons had about doing the same for one another. Kenny Waters, I have to admit, as short-tempered as the movie pictured him, handled the entire ordeal quite well for a man wrongly convicted. Yes he attempted to end his life and yes he had outbursts but all in all his love for his daughter never faltered just as Betty Anne's love for her brother. I am unsure as to what is more astounding: how any person could go 18 years without seeing one's own daughter and surviving or working tirelessly to become a lawyer for the purpose of only one case.

I thought this movie displayed virtually every component we have learned about over this whole semester such as wrongful conviction, the error in eye witness testimony, and obviously DNA evidence. The entire film I was waiting on Kenny to tell his sister he actually did murder the woman and all her hard work was for naught. I am happy to say he never had to.

Conviction was a very well executed movie that did a good job playing on the emotions of its viewers. I really enjoyed the movie, and though it seemed kind of long, I think it effectively portrayed the story it was putting across. Since the movie was based on a true story it is obvious that things like what happened in the movie are completely plausible. Unfortunately, we will never be certain of exactly how many people we have wrongfully incarcerated and/or put to death. The trying process that all of those involved went through is truly heart breaking. It was nice to see that the Innocence Project was actually represented as itself in this movie because I think it is important for people to know that it exists and that this does happen in real life.

We talked a lot in class and through the readings about both eyewitness testimony and police coercion, two things that played a big part in Kenny’s imprisonment. As discussed in class, eyewitness testimony can be faulty based on a wide variety of factors, many of which are psychology related. Memories can be easily altered through improper police interviewing among other types of contamination. Unfortunately, in Kenny’s case the eyewitness testimony wasn’t false because their memories had been changed, but rather because they had been coerced into lying under oath. It became clear very early on in the movie that the female police officer had it in for Kenny because of his past behavior and his attitude. She spent two years gathering evidence to convict Kenny before he was finally arrested and sent to trial. When Betty Anne when back almost two decades later with Barry from the Innocence Project it became clear that the officer had threatened the witnesses into saying what they sad. It is very sad that these individuals were either willing or threatened into testifying to put Kenny away when they knew he didn’t do it. The tactics used by the officer, as they were briefly discussed, included threatening to take the children away.

I think the biggest part of the movie that was influenced by psychology was Kenny simply as a person dealing with everything that was going on. It was made clear early on that Kenny and Betty Anne had a rough home life including abuse and had been through the system of foster care multiple times. The impact this had on the kids was displayed often by Kenny with his violent tendencies and constant desire to protect his little sister. As Kenny grew up he remained violent, often getting into fights when he felt insulted. After being sent to prison, his demeanor didn’t really change, though it was evident that his imprisonment took a large toll on his mental health. Kenny went through different phases of being ecstatic, depressed, calm, violent, and suicidal all based on what he was experiencing. At times he simply lost his will to live and wanted to give up, which makes sense. I would imagine that Kenny went through some of the same emotions and feelings that participants in the Stanford Prison Experiment did in regard to hope of getting out and other similar emotions. Hopefully Kenny did not have to endure the treatment that those participants did, but the fact that he was incarcerated for 16 years makes one wonder how he made it through that entire time knowing that he was innocent.

One thing I did not know before that I learned from this movie was how long the process of acquittal takes, even after someone is proven innocent because of DNA testing that came about later. I also didn’t realize that if the DA said that there was still enough to try someone as an accomplice then that was that and it still didn’t reach the courtroom again. Before seeing this movie, I definitely thought that going through DNA testing and working with the Innocence project was a much simpler process. If it wasn’t for Betty Anne’s determination and a good bit of luck, she probably never would have succeeded in freeing Kenny.

Conviction was an empowering and moving video about a man who is wrongfully convicted of murdering a woman in his town. Tack on armed robbery as well and evidence all stacked against him, and he finds himself with a life sentence without the possibility of parole. A scary situation for anyone, especially someone who is innocent, and his sister, Betty, believes he is. However, they come from a complicated family and didn't have the happiest upbringing. Betty never even finished high school, so neither one of them has a very good job. Assuming Kenny and Betty have jobs. Therefore, they don't have any money to afford good lawyers to take Kenny's case and appeal his conviction. Enter in Betty's master plan to get her GED, then her college degree, and finally go to law school so she can represent her brother and find a way to get him out of prison. Sounds simple, right?

Betty is determined to set her brother free, and won't allow anyone to even think about the possibility that he may have done it, even though he's never even told her himself that he's innocent. Nor does he insist on it throughout the movie. Betty faces some hard situations, she has since childhood. Her dad was an alcoholic, and her mom was so frustrated at having to raise her two kids with a dead beat husband, she tended to take it out on them. Her brother is always getting in trouble, even as an adult, he's now in prison for life, and because of her obsession with trying to free him her husband divorces her. Now she's left trying to raise two boys with a mediocre job because she has no education. These are all factors that could have a significant effect on someone psychologically. She doesn't let it stop her, and she enrolls in law school to try and become a lawyer.

During law school, there are times when she has a tough time keeping up. Law school is hard enough as it is, without the added pressure of kids and a job. Plus she's committed to going to see her brother frequently, which also takes time. There are times when it seems like she may be ready to give up. She's having trouble keeping up, and ends up getting put on probation. Kind of ironic seeing as how her brother is the trouble maker of the two of them. And although it never shows any money troubles, law school is expensive, so I can only assume financially she was strapped as well. These too are psychological factors that could drive a person mad, but Betty continues to work hard through school, and, along with her new friend, passes law school.

The search for her brothers evidence proves to be difficult, because his case ended sixteen years ago. Case files are destroyed after ten years, and despite calls to several people, everyone insists the evidence has been destroyed. Betty calls this "a setback", and continues to hackle people, until she finally convinces an older woman to take a second look, and miraculously, the evidence box from Kenneth Waters trial is produced. They find the DNA samples, because that's what she plans on getting tested to prove his innocence. This was around the time The Innocence Project got its start and many were being exonerated based on DNA evidence that wasn't available when they were convicted.

Throughout this movie, many examples of psychology come into play, as I've shown above. Growing up in a tough family situation, having a brother who's your whole world but is constantly needing to be bailed out of jail, who ends up being convicted of first degree murder and has to go to prison for life, having to provide for two kids with a job as a bartender, and trying to pass law school. Betty proved how tough she really is, especially psychologically. She never gave up, throughout the entire ordeal of trying to help her brother, despite the many "setbacks" she faced. She was successful in helping her brother. And although the ending came quickly for him after his release, his sister had to have been satisfied knowing because of her, her brother got to spend the last few months of his life outside of prison.

I really liked watching Conviction. I like stories that are based on a true story and this was one of them. This movie really shows us that police and the criminal justice system are corrupt. An innocent man was sent to prison because a cop wanted him there and because eyewitnesses gave false confessions.

Kenneth Waters had a bad past. At one point in the movie, Kenny and his sister Betty Anne were shown as kids breaking into a neighbors house. They were just kids at the time and were harmless, but these kinds of events conributed to his being arrested years later. A female cop never liked Kenny. Once the murder happened, she was dead set on Kenny and proving that he did it. The problem with that was he did not kill the woman. I don't remember if we find out why she was out to get him. Kenny was arrested. During his trial, two eyewitnesses testified against him. Both of these witnesses gave false testimonies. We eventually find out that they were coerced by the same female cop who did not like Kenny and sent thim to prison. This deals with psychology because the cop had threatened them. False eyewitness testimony happens a lot in cases and happens the most when innocent people are convicted.

It was truly inspiring to watch Betty Anne's journey to set her brother free. From the beginning, she knew that Kenny was innocent. Even though the evidence seemed to keep building agaisnt him, she never gave up. She knew that she had to do something to help him, so she essentially stopped her life and dedicated the next several years to become his lawyer. During this process, her home life went downhill. Her husband did not understand why she was doing what she was to save her brother. Eventually this leads to their divorce and Betty Anne to lose her kids to her husband. One part that I really remember about the movie was a scene in the car with Betty Anne and her two sons. She was describing why she was trying to become a lawyer and do anything to save her brother. She had asked her sons if they would do anything to help each other and one of them said yes. The other did not right away, but he seemed to change his mind.

Kenny was having a hard time in prison. He started giving up hope and tried to kill himself. When Betty Anne heard about this, she kept talking to him and convincing him that she was going to let him out. With her training in the law, she came to realize that DNA could save her brother. There was no doubt in her mind that Kenny's DNA and the DNA found on the woman were not a match. She got in contact in Barry Scheck at the Innocence Project. They started working together to set Kenny free. Betty Anne had approached her brother to get his DNA, but Kenny did not want to take the test. He has been screwed over by a number of people and he does not want to be screwed over again. Finally he does, and he was set free. Another sad part in this movie is the whole ordeal with his daughter. Because he was in jail, he never got to see her and her mom had always told her that Kenny had killed that woman. She was one of the people that testified against him. Betty Anne kept trying to talk to her, but she wanted nothing to do with her. Her whole life all she had known was that he father was a murderer. Once Kenny got out of prison, he went to talk to her. He told her that her mom was wrong and he never killed that woman. I really hope that their relationship became stronger now that Kenny is a free man, thanks to his sister Betty Anne.

Conviction is definitely a movie to cut straight to your heart. I had seen this movie before and I loved it, but I didn't quite remember everything. I watched this movie again and I found myself applying psychology and law to the movie. This was the perfect movie to end with because it was the only movie I had seen before, but I had to watch it again in order to catch things I didn't realize before. This movie definitely knows how to emotionally involve someone. This movie made me angry about numerous things. Some of the main things to make me mad were how Kenny was framed as well as the process of getting Kenny out of prison even though everyone knew he was innocent. That would be the worst feeling in the world, to know you are innocent, have the evidence to prove it, but you have to wait for paperwork and a trial to say you are actually innocent. I wish it were easier.

This movie relates to psychology in many ways. The first part I noticed about the movie to relate to psychology as well as this class was the childhood flashbacks. Kenny and his sister, Betty, had numerous run in's with the cops when they were younger mainly because they didn't really have anyone to look out for them and discipline them. They did whatever they wanted together and the cops were involved numerous times such as when they broke into someone's home or when they both attempted to run away. With a history of these occurrences involving the police, it psychologically made it easier for the cops to take them in as well as framing Kenny due to his history of trouble.
I also noticed social psychology taking place from the very beginning when Betty was working at a local bar and speaking to Abra. Abra was attempting to befriend Betty, but Betty said she didn't have time for friends or need them. Abra persisted and said Betty needs friends and there will always be room for them. This made me think about social psychology because even though we may not think we need others around us, we cannot function without close relationships. Betty could not have gotten through law school or get Kenny out of prison without the help of her friend Abra. Betty depended on Abra for many things in order to get Kenny out of prison. Abra pushed Betty to get through law school and to finish her classes, especially when Betty was sick. Abra also made numerous calls for Betty to find the evidence as well as contact the witnesses and so forth.
I found many things we mentioned in class in this movie. One main thing I found interesting was how the character witnesses were bribed in order to get Kenny into prison for murder. This makes me feel weary about people relying only on character witnesses or only witnesses for that matter because a person can say whatever they want to say about someone else. There is no hard evidence there to support what they say. His ex wife said he admitted to committing the murder and acted as if it were no big deal. Anyone could say that about someone. I found it very disturbing how Nancy and the Chief of Police both threatened the witnesses saying they had evidence against them and they could make them an accessory to murder if they did not testify against Kenny in court. This is something we learned about in class in order for the police to get a confession from someone and to cut them down mentally in order for the cops to receive what they want from the witness/suspect. In this case, it was different because the chief as well as Nancy took the witnesses into a hotel room in order to cut them down mentally. They cut them down mentally in order to get the witnesses into a shocked and scared state of mind in which they were more vulnerable and more likely to do as the cops wanted. The cops first bribed them to get the witnesses into the hotel room by saying the witnesses would receive money. After this incentive went into play, the cops showed the witnesses the pictures of the murder and telling the witnesses Kenny did it and threatened them if they did not agree to saying Kenny did it, they would let a killer walk in their midst along with their children. These statements along with saying the witnesses could be accessories made them think they could actually get into serious trouble as well as trying to protect their children. They cops got into the witness's heads by cutting them down into an emotional state. Along with this, the first witness said the cops gave her alcohol in which biopsychology and abnormal psychology come into effect. Her judgment was altered as well as her capability to think normally due to the alcohol which altered the situation a lot.
Another aspect of the movie I noticed was the use of DNA evidence in order to prove Kenny not guilty. Before DNA evidence could be used, the best evidence they could use in court was the fact Kenny and the perpetrator had the same blood type, which could happen to many people. This was a solid piece of evidence back at the original time of the case, but once DNA profiling came into effect, the case was an entirely new ball game. Betty searched for the evidence in order to get these tests done which was an issue in itself. Before she graduated law school, Betty contacted The Innocence Project for help. I thought this was neat because before the radio assignment, I had no clue about the organization and it was neat to recognize it in this movie when I didn't really notice it before. If there were no advances in DNA profiling, Kenny would have died in prison an innocent man. I thought it was crazy how if the state of Massachusetts had the death penalty, Kenny would have been dead before he was proven innocent which opened my eyes about the death penalty.
I saw psychology when Kenny first got into prison how he felt as though he didn't have a life worth living anymore and attempted suicide. He began to believe he did it and grew to accept it. He was psychologically drained and was so cut down from everything to where he grew to accept it and wanted a way out of his life.

I felt this was an exceptional movie to watch in order to apply everything we have learned in the past semester. I love this movie and I noticed a lot more in which I never noticed before.

In the beginning of the movie, I would have to admit that I thought Kenneth was guilty. I was not familiar with this case before viewing the movie. I thought to myself toward the beginning of the movie "this scumbag brings his baby into a bar?...only to fight and get naked on stage with his infant girl there to witness it all?" That's a tad irresponsible and I believe most would agree. He did seem like the kind of dude who would be fun to drink with but as far as being a good father, the guy who took the butt to the chops may have been right in what he said. Although I can't say I wouldn't have responded the same way as Kenneth if someone talked about my child, I wouldn't have put myself in that situation to begin with.

As the witnesses told of how Kenny would beat them (including knocking all that girl's teeth out), I couldn't help but think to myself that this guy needs to suffer even if he is innocent. I began to let my emotions take control of my head. I noticed that I had made a huge mistake in believing what was said by the witnesses and taking it as fact. I would imagine this kind of thing happens all the time. Powerful testimony filled with emotion draws empathy from jurors. These empathetic feelings can get in the way of thinking clearly and logically. The first time I got excited in the movie was when I found out that Nancy was busted. However, due to this ridiculous statute of limitations, she gets to walk for her heinous crimes. It makes my blood boil seeing things like this happen. These officers thought they were above the law. Taking people to remote hotels to threaten them? ...over a grudge? It's time that corrupt officers start paying for their crimes. Police officers are no different than you or I. They just chose a different career path. That is all. More needs to be done to combat corrupt police. If you look at the situation in Mexico, you can see where corruption can take a country if it get swallowed up in it.

We see the Innocence Project in this film once again working to free those who were wrongfully convicted. I commend the individuals working for the Project for their dedication to the cause. I am sure they feel underappreciated at times and with an ever-growing overstock of cases they are likely working extremely hard around the clock in order to server proper justice.

DNA has done so much for so many people over just the last 20+ years. It makes you wonder how many lives could have been saved in the past. Finally there is a chance for those who once had none. I can't believe that the D.A., someone who is supposed to be just and honest, would immediately throw DNA evidence back in the face of Kenny's sister along with the accusation of Kenny being an accomplice. He was right. They found a way to screw him over. It was only a matter of time, however, before the testimony of Kenny's ex was overturned and he was finally set free. In the extras it mentions that Kenny died only 6 months later.

I wanted to know more about Kenny's death. Immediately I found it suspicious that Kenny died within such a short time from his release from prison. It turns out that Kenny fell and fractured his skull while taking a shortcut from his mother's house.

http://truthinjustice.org/waters-fall.htm

I thought this website was interesting because it states "With no opposition from prosecutors,". I couldn't figure out whether it was true that the lady actually stonewalled them.

http://www.nodp.org/ma/mass_mistake.html

I had never seen the movie Conviction before this class and I thought it was very interesting and enjoyed it. I liked that it was based on a true story. I don't know what I would do if I knew someone who had to spend life in prison knowing they were innocent. I didn't really like the beginning of the movie because it was so graphic and showed too much. I'm not really into those kind of movies which are very gory. I really liked the plot of the movie and the characters.

This movie was another example of how corrupt the system is. But I did like how it was a true story. The only reason they wanted to convict Kenny was that it was a bad murder and he was the only one in town with a criminal record. I did find it very interesting that it took them two years after the murder to actually arrest him. The only connection they could make between Kenny and the victim was that he broke into her house when he was a little kids to steal candy. It occurred well over 20 years prior.

The testimonies from the ex-girlfriend and ex-lover were very damaging for Kenny’s case. They gave me great reason to believe that they were lying though. This aspect of the film really shows how the police and prosecution will go to any length to get a conviction. The conditions under which the witnesses were interviewed was persuasive and wrong. The one was taken to a hotel and encouraged to get a little drunk to make her easier to talk to and to get more out of her. The other woman wasn’t abused by the system initially, but by a jealous boyfriend. Even after telling the investigators and officers that Kenny was innocent, they were told they would be charged with accessory if they did not agree to testify against Kenny. I think the procedures that police use to interview and get information are completely wrong and dishonest. It's not right that the police can threaten anyone to get them to testify.

The atmosphere of the prison was a little harsh and the guards were very strong and brutal. If Kenny actually committed the murder then he probably deserved to be in a prison that harsh, but since he didn't he didn't know how to act and did not want to be there. I thought it was very sad that he even tried to commit suicide in prison. I really liked the end when Kenny was finally free. I don't know what I would do if I spend most of my life locked up without my freedom for something I didn't do. It just shows how wrong the legal system can actually be. It's sad that some people are charged with things because of false evidence. There are definitely some things that need to be changed and tweaked for a better outcome. Overall I really enjoyed the movie and would probably watch it again.

This movie was very interesting. Once again, we are able to see how the court systems are flawed. I really expect Kenneth to die or something awful to happen before Betty Ann could finish her degree. I am glad it worked out for her. Like The Life of David Gale, I was so shocked to find out a person can become a suspect because of their history. IN both of these cases, the individuals past records influenced the officers to believe they had committed the murders. I was also flabbergasted at the amount of information that is skimmed over and never looked at because they believe they have the right person.

This movie created a strong example of how flawed the criminal justice system is, putting innocent behind bars. this. Because of Kenneth’s history, he automatically became a more likely suspect when the police had no other options. The evidence was swayed to put him behind bars. It also pointed out how easily someone can lie on the stand, and how the individuals in the intuition can have a large influence on witness. In Kenneth’s situation, two people lied about their testimony on the stand. They stated he did things that were untrue that played a vital role in the outcome his conviction. Although these individuals lied, they didn’t do it because they chose too. They were motived, in some cases bribed, to say what they did. Over the semester, we have learned how individuals can be corrupt and use their powers to sway individuals. With these tactics, officers often receive false confessions. The suspect feels threatened or tricked into believe that they really did commit the crime. In this case, the police made the witness believe that they would avoid charges by lying on the stand.
The prison has its own effects on individuals; Kenneth was a strong wiled person before he was put in prison. After a few years though, he attempted suicide and lost his personality. Betty Ann convinced him that they were going to get him out but he had to stay strong. Without her, I don’t think Kenneth would have made it. Not only did the prison have an effect on his stability, he also started to believe that he had committed the crime. Betty Ann told him to take the DNA tests and he wouldn’t. At this point, I thought he had really murdered the women and told her the truth. I was shocked when the DNA results proved that he was innocent. Looking at a prison from a psychological standpoint, I think these detrimental effects should be evaluated and changed. Kenneth mind was altered to believe that he had murdered someone. Something different should be done inside prisons to avoid these affects.
Without DNA, Kenneth would have been in prison for the rest of his life. The movie made a comment referring to the death penalty. If they had been in another state, Kenneth would have been dead by the time Betty Ann would have been able to prove his innocence. The last movie we watched, The Life of David Gale, swayed my vote on the death penalty. I was never for or against the death penalty; however, it made me a strong believer that the death penalty should be exonerated from the legal system. This movie reinforces that belief.
I would really like to see how the relationship between Kenneth and his daughter turned out. Kenneth’s daughter grew up listening to her mom’s lies. She never knew him, or wanted anything to do with him. Unexpectedly, she finds out the complete opposite. Her dad didn’t murder anyone. Her mother lied to her throughout her life, and he wrote her letters every week while he was in jail that she never received. This had to take a toll on her psychologically. We can see her reaction as she was reintroduced to him. It would be such a tough situation to be in. I don’t know what I would do.

The movie, Conviction is about a man who was convicted of a crime he did not commit, all due to false testifying (that would be found out about later on in the movie) and falsified DNA testing, which were key reasons to why he was put into a jail cell for all those years. Once Kenny goes to prison we see the downfall of his psychological stance. He knows he didn’t commit the crime, also his sister knows and wants to prove that the court system was wrong for this particular case. So she seeks out to be a lawyer, so her brother can be a free man. As her journey to be a lawyer takes place, she ends up divorcing her husband and having a close, but distant relationship with her two sons as the time passes by. It’s sad to say, but this happens in real life, people being convicted of a crime they never even were near or knew about. While the convicted are locked up, their families go through their own ways of coping with what happens, whether it be a positive way or not.

Two big parts of this movie with how Kenny was put into jail that ties into psychology would be the eyewitness testimony and the character testimony. His past ex’s all lied on the stand, saying he admitted to killing the woman, clearly they were being biased about putting Kenny away, since they probably hadn’t spoken to one another in a while. Even Kenny’s own ex-wife lied to the court, later on admitting in the movie she did it so the prosecutor wouldn’t put her as an accomplice and take away her daughter from her. Even with all the false testimonies, Kenny’s past record was not the greatest help, it just made him appear even more guilty.

A nice add in to the movie was the Innocence project who proved that the DNA testing of Kenny was not a match to the scene of the crime. Overall it took well over a year for his blood to be tested and processed and then a little later he was finally released. The court appearance was short and sweet, but the process of getting there was long enough for both him and his sister, Betty. Who had worked so hard to achieve her own brothers’ freedom. Now that is a lot of dedication and hard work, especially since she became a single Mom shortly after Kenny went to prison. Personally, I didn’t know how long it took for all the DNA to be processed, if it could still be processed afterwards. But it’s good to know that the Innocence project truly is out here in reality, trying to help prove the wrongly accused to help set them back to their freedom. Overall, this movie was a good watch, and it definitely showed the side of the justice system where once again they didn’t get the full truth. But thanks to Betty, Kenny was saved and finally free.

I have heard of this story but never seen the movie until now. The movie was heart wrenching and I found myself actually getting pissed off when she tried to turn her paper in 3 seconds after another student handed theirs in. I noticed during the trial how they used the witnesses' false statements to tell a story about Kenny revealing a very checkered past. Without the technology of DNA profiling, the organized lies and other compiled evidence, supported by a history of violence and excessive drinking easily put Kenny in jail. The jury was easily persuaded because the defense attorney portrayed Kenny as someone they would not like or want walking around freely in their society. Betty made a huge sacrifice putting in all the work she did to get him out. I was excited to make the connection between the Innocence Project in the movie and having already learned about it in our class. Although, perjury and a threat of doing jail time was the obvious path Mandy's mother was headed, she urged her to sign it for her father's freedom. I believe after signing the Affidavit she felt more at ease than she had in the past 18 years. Another aspect of psychology that was evident was the way Kenny was handling his situation. We get to see him go from wanting to die, to being as okay as one can possibly be in prison, to not wanting to take the test for some reason. When he does this, it is fair to assume he may be going through strong emotional issues of being scared of the outside world after so many years behind bars. His sister his is only support system and she pulls him through. His daughter has believed a lie for so many years, but showed positive signs of acceptance. Something not shown in the movie that I believe would benefit Kenny would be rehabilitation services.
Something I was interested in was compensation for the wrongfully convicted. From the webpage listed below, I found out that a majority of states do nothing, however:
"Fourteen states do have compensation programs. For example, in North Carolina, the state will pay $10,000 for each year of wrongful imprisonment up to $150,000. Wisconsin pays $5,000 a year up to $25,000. In Texas, the limit is $25,000" --ABC PRIME TIME
http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=132262&page=1#.T5opx9mDmSo