Justice versus conscience

Ricky Jackson is an African-American man who was wrongly convicted of murder and spent 39 years in prison in Ohio, United States. Here are some key points about his case:

1. In 1975, Jackson and two other men were accused of killing a salesman in Cleveland, Ohio. Jackson maintained his innocence, but was convicted based on the testimony of a 12-year-old boy who claimed to have witnessed the murder.

2. The boy, Edward Vernon, later recanted his testimony and admitted that he had been coerced by the police to identify Jackson and the other two men as the killers. Vernon said he had never actually witnessed the murder.

3. Despite this new evidence, Jackson’s appeals were repeatedly denied, and he remained in prison for almost four decades.

4. In 2014, Jackson’s case was finally reviewed by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office Conviction Integrity Unit, which found that there was no evidence linking Jackson or the other two men to the crime, and that Vernon’s testimony was the only basis for their conviction.

5. Jackson was released from prison in November 2014, after spending 39 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit.

6. In 2019, Jackson was awarded a $1 million settlement by the state of Ohio for his wrongful imprisonment.

Jackson’s case highlights the flaws in the criminal justice system, particularly with regards to the use of coerced testimony and the difficulty of overturning wrongful convictions.