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Wilton Dedge: The Injustice Continues

By TChris, Section Innocence Cases
Posted on Tue May 17, 2005 at 11:24:38 AM EST
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by TChris

Florida is the place to be if you want your politicians to interfere with personal decisions about life and death, or to prevent citizens with ancient felonies from voting, or to hinder the right to have an abortion. It's not such a good place to be if you need mental health care that you can't afford, and it's a terrible place to be if you're wrongly convicted of a crime. Just ask Wilton Dedge. (TalkLeft background here).

DNA evidence showed that Wilton Dedge spent 22 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit. Even the people who prosecuted him had apologized and said Dedge deserved to be compensated for those lost years. But when the state Legislature ended its session May 6, Dedge walked away with nothing.

Dedge's lawyer, a former president of Florida State University who is acting pro bono, plans to file a lawsuit for Dedge. He shouldn't have to go that far. Florida took Dedge's freedom for 22 years. An apology doesn't correct that injustice. Florida owes it to Dedge to give him fair compensation for his loss.

As Dedge's lawyer points out, "we had the remarkable fact that the Brevard state attorney and the attorney general were saying there ought to be some relief." Remarkable, but not good enough for the Florida legislature.

During the final days of the session, the Senate approved a measure that would allow Dedge, and others like him, to apply for up to $5 million for lost income, legal expenses and other costs. The House did not consider it. Members voted instead to set up a procedure that would make Dedge wait another year to seek compensation.

< Judicial Activism and the Nuclear Option | Questions Persist About Unfair Trial >

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    Wilton Dedge: The Injustice Continues | 5 comments (5 topical)
    Re: Wilton Dedge: The Injustice Continues (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:09 PM EST
    See, when Democrats want to stick with traditional Congressional mechanisms, dealing with the filibuster snafu, they are deemed obstructionists by the Republican nutsoes like the ones down in Jeb Land. But when righties in the Dedge case simply halt something passed by the Senate, procedure suddenly becomes hallowed ground. The hypocrisy never ends. My only other question is why it took a decade to take the test. Surely DNA tests were reliable even 5 years ago. DNA is almost irreutable evidence in declaring a person's guilt or innocence, and someone dropped the ball. I think prosecutorial misconduct has been more than inferred.

    Re: Wilton Dedge: The Injustice Continues (none / 0) (#2)
    by wishful on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:09 PM EST
    Why did it take a decade to take the test, you ask? Because the thugs in charge of our citizens care nothing for justice. In PA, ALL inmates (at least) must provide samples for DNA to be kept for future potential criminal prosecutions. There is one inmate that I know of who has been requesting that he be allowed to have his DNA tested to prove his innocence. His request preceeded the new law of compelled DNA testing. The State still won't allow him to have his DNA tested. Maybe they are afraid that he can prove his innocence. Why would that be?

    Re: Wilton Dedge: The Injustice Continues (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:09 PM EST
    Unfortunately, wishful, when it comes to district attorneys, sometimes politically-motivated expedience trumps the pursuit for true justice.

    Re: Wilton Dedge: The Injustice Continues (none / 0) (#4)
    by Peter G on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:10 PM EST
    Same deal in PA as in Florida. My client Nick Yarris was exonerated from death row after 22 years by DNA testing that he had been demanding for 12 of those years. Eighteen months later, nary an apology nor a dime of compensation. The story of Wilton Dedge is featured, as is Nick's, in the recent award-winning documentary "After Innocence" as previously noted on TalkLeft. Go see it if it screens near you.

    Re: Wilton Dedge: The Injustice Continues (none / 0) (#5)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:12 PM EST
    ricky1756 - You bring sex into your comments about 80% of the time. Is there something you need to tell us? et al - Dedge, and others are getting a raw deal. Make it an election issue. BTW - "Florida is the place to be if you want your politicians to interfere with personal decisions about life and death" That's a funny quote, given that the husbands desire was not interdered with. As for Terri....who knows?

    Wilton Dedge: The Injustice Continues | 5 comments (5 topical)