Drew Whitley – Sentenced to life imprisonment for a murder he did not commit. Exonerated after 18 years, 78 x 56 inches, acrylic and latex
Daniel Bolick: RESURRECTED
Sunday June 14, 2009 - Sunday September 06, 2009
People who regularly read this blog know that, I personally am a Libertarian or more accurately a "Classical Liberal", who believes the government's only proper role in society is to protect individuals from force, theft, fraud and other criminal acts; run a court system for civil disputes and protect our nation from military attack.
Ironically today, the sacred absolute right all people should have to a speedy trial and serious deliberate defence when accused of a crime is not taken seriously at all.The entire concept of "plea bargaining" is meant to save time and money and police departments often lack the resources and training to investigate crimes; the result is that, many completely innocent people are sitting in jail or occasionally even executed for crimes they did not commit.
Artist's Statement
"The ten men depicted in these paintings and drawings have served a total of 164 years in prison – 71 of those years on death row – for crimes they did not commit. When innocent men are released from death row or long term incarceration, they emerge as broken human beings. They are not eligible for services to help them re-enter society, such as education, counseling and job training – services meant for guilty offenders only, not the wrongly convicted. There is nothing to aid these men (and women in some cases). There is a great reluctance to even acknowledge that a mistake has been made. There are no official apologies and, for most of these men, no compensation.
I hope that this exhibition will raise awareness about the failings of the criminal justice system. Wrongful convictions are not isolated, rare events. Innocent people languishing in prison or worse—being put to death for crimes they did not commit—should be intolerable to everyone."
Daniel Bolick was born and raised in Pittsburgh, attended Kent State and worked for thirty four years in the Pittsburgh Public School System.
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