"The Exonerated"

Yesterday I read the play "The Exonerated" by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen. To start, I looked up exonerated in my dictionary and learned that the word means to declare or prove blameless. "Okay!" I thought, "So this is gonna be interesting."
A couple months ago at Chapel a man visited and spoke about his false accusation and the time he wrongly spent in prison. I really enjoyed listening to him tell his story of unclear evidence, and therefore, his time in prison. Years later, when DNA testing proved that he was not the criminal and he was freed, the general public continued to treat him as a rapist and killer. It took quite a while for him to regain respect. I find that very sad, yet understandable; I can imagine it would be hard to tell yourself that an accused person actually didn't do a crime which you had previously been told he/she had.
"The Exonerated" is a compilation of several true stories of innocent people who were wrongly accused and served time, and in some cases, were executed for crimes they did not commit.
I began reading and was instantly roped into the stories and even taking sides on the individual cases. Just reading the script caused me to get upset when the innocent people were accused; I cannot fathom what it would be like to live such a tragedy.
I think the style the play is written in is very likable. The reenactments of the crimes/confusion help the audience see what actually went down and how the accused were treated by authority. It also helps keep the play moving and interesting. With no intermission, the play moves from tale to tale of what happened to these people regarding their undue punishment.
I really found myself taking to the characters, imagining what they look like, and trying to remember that they are indeed real people who are likely still alive today.
The notes at the beginning of the script emphasize the significance of race when it comes to justice. Unfortunately, race plays a huge role in a person's conviction. Martin Luther King, Jr. would have something to say about this.
If this were merely a play, that would be one aspect of justice to consider; but this play is written about interviews with a handful of people who have actually experienced this injustice.
This makes me wonder how many undeserving people are in prison right now...and how many people have already been executed for a crime that someone else committed....YIKES! What if it happens to someone I love...or me?!
The reality of this injustice is quite alarming. After all, prison and the death penalty are slightly more serious than the times I endured time-out or sitting by the wall at recess for a yell or punch I didn't do.
At the same time though, I'm sure glad our country has law enforcement and a criminal justice department....I sure wouldn't want vigilantes running the show. Yet, the concern revolving unjust punishment is a real one. Hmmm....at least DNA testing is helping the matter.
Today I started "The Geography of Bliss" by Eric Weiner (hehe). Personally, I think it's funny. So far I'm pretty well enjoying the book. He just makes me laugh...he's a bit of a downer, and his pessimism coupled with honest observations makes me giggle. Usually pessimistic people annoy me like none other...but this Weiner guy is funny...perhaps what's funniest is that he probably doesn't realize he has a funny way of phrasing things (because he's a tad negative).
My Mom and I have often thought the world would be better if the chemical in dogs that gives them their perma-happiness could be bottled and distributed for human consumption. Just imagine if people had the zeal, love, loyalty, and downright joy of dogs...it'll be interesting to keep reading and see what Weiner concludes.