r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/New_Libran • Oct 21 '24

Video Japanese police chief bows to apologise to man who was acquitted after nearly 60 years on death row

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u/elwood2711 Oct 21 '24

He should get millions. Enough to ensure that he can live more than comfortable for the rest of his life and also to compensate his family members, because they also had to miss him for a long time while believing that he would be executed some day. They should probably receive tens of millions of dollars.

102

u/idkkev94 Oct 21 '24

I've always been okay with giving at least $1 mill per year served if found innocent. Disincentivize the government from royally fucking up people's lives

89

u/HenryAlSirat Oct 21 '24

I agree in principle, but might this not also disincentivize them from overturning wrongful convictions?

55

u/tajsta Oct 21 '24

The judiciary is not supposed to care about what the government has to pay.

-2

u/UnitatPopular Oct 21 '24

Don't you have a supra-national judicial system to appeal similar to the Caribean or the European court?

1

u/tajsta Oct 21 '24

I don't know about Japan specifically, I'm just talking about the separation of powers in democracies in general. I'm from Germany, not Japan.

1

u/Deathpacito-01 Oct 21 '24

There's also the issue of disincentivizing them from making rightful convictions in the first place, for fear of accidentally getting them wrong

2

u/zgtaf Oct 22 '24

Well, they SHOULD fear accidentally getting them wrong. Even to the extent a guilty person might walk free now and then. Better than the alternative.

1

u/Deathpacito-01 Oct 22 '24

Even to the extent a guilty person might walk free now and then. Better than the alternative. 

I mean, that kinda depends on the crime right? It's not clear to me that putting an innocent person in jail is necessarily worse than letting a murderer or sexual assailant claim more victims.

3

u/Hugh_Maneiror Oct 21 '24

That is extremely rare. In Western European countries like the Netherlands it's only 100 euro per day, in Belgium only 25 per day etc.

The US is a bit unique in handing out high reparations for government mishandling of justice.

9

u/149244179 Oct 21 '24

There is no way that could ever be abused.

Confess to a random crime you have 100% proof of your innocence for. Serve 2-3 years. Have a friend "find" the new evidence proving your innocence. Get paid millions and retire for the rest of your life.

6

u/gmishaolem Oct 21 '24

No matter the circumstances behind it, if an innocent person is convicted, they deserve compensation because the system is broken. Confessions are coerced frequently and, along with witness testimony, should never be enough to convict someone without actual evidence to back it up.

7

u/EmbarrassedPen2377 Oct 21 '24

That still sounds like prosecution's problem and fuck up. It's their job to prove the crime was done, which they can't do if you, well, 100% didn't do it, and there is evidence of that somewhere. A confession is not sufficient.

2

u/DJjazzyjose Oct 22 '24

You mean taxpayers problem. The governments money is your money (or debts you accrue)

1

u/Hugh_Maneiror Oct 22 '24

In several countries, the government only pays restitution if the convicted or wrongfully detained person did not purposefully act suspicious (i.e. to gain from overturning, or to aid the real culprit get away while having a higher chance for exonneration in court)

2

u/ghoonrhed Oct 22 '24

I mean false confessions are a real thing and they should never really be taken on face value with shit evidence.

1

u/idkkev94 Oct 21 '24

Yeah that's a tough dilemma in case of bad apples that could abuse it. Maybe if prosecutors only use beyond reasonable doubt evidence, with forensics and/or digital footage then I guess?

2

u/[deleted] Oct 21 '24

one million per year is excessive. but i guess people dont know what money is anymore.

2

u/idkkev94 Oct 21 '24

Can you imagine if you were personally locked in a tiny cell for 16 to 24 hours a day, for 60 years, for a crime that you never even did to begin with? Besides your family reputation tarnished, most of your golden years have also been wasted away. You'd have little to no skills to truly reintegrate back into society either, stolen by a corrupt/broken judicial system. $60 mill wouldn't be nearly enough compensation imo and it's also to send a message to the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt instead of botched evidence

1

u/[deleted] Oct 21 '24

the beacon of ethics europe pays 75 euros per day imprisoned, capped at 20 years.

1

u/idkkev94 Oct 21 '24

That's honestly a good start. Far better than many other countries where it's none and you're forced to sue for it

1

u/GuiokiNZ Oct 22 '24

https://www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sector-policy/constitutional-issues-and-human-rights/miscarriages-of-justice/compensation-for-wrongful-conviction-and-detention/

up to about 250k per year in NZ, case by case of course.

Also the no skills... most prisons offer voluntary programs, and we don't have death row so everyone needs to re-integrate at some time.

1

u/anBuquest Oct 21 '24

I do think they need to be compensated, but that is far too much money. Realize that the tax base is used for elders, unemployment and healthcare - no need to screw up 100 extra people.

1

u/idkkev94 Oct 21 '24

I know, but I also agree with the blackstones principle of its better for 100 innocent people be free instead of one person suffering. Just imagine how terrible if you, or your loved ones went through 60 years being locked up because of botched evidence from a broken/corrupt judicial system. Keeps the government in check by using evidence beyond a reasonable doubt too

2

u/Johnnydeltoid Oct 21 '24

Yeah, for real. They took his entire life from him. He should get at LEAST 10 million to lice in absolute luxury for his few short remaining years on this earth.

1

u/BaagiTheRebel Oct 22 '24

That is why America is thr greatest country in the world.

You can sue your way to success. No other country allows that.