“My Life is A Broken Puzzle”: An Analysis

Surviving Justice: America’s Wrongfully Convicted and Exonerated tells us about the accounts of thirteen exonereers and their experiences being in jail and persecuted on cases they are purely innocent with.  In one of these cases or stories, the chapter of Christopher Ochoa seemed to be one of the most troubling stories in the book. Christopher Ochoa’s life had been ruined when police forced him to confess that he was the assailant and murderer he did not commit. He was convicted with murder that causes him to endure a life long imprisonment.

In Ochoa’s case, it is evident that his right to obtain a lawyer before the police forces or prosecutors confronts him is violated. He is also forced to commit the crime after giving him threats that he would be convicted anyway. The Austin Police force could have followed the standard procedures: let him have his own lawyer, arresting him after a warrant of arrest is issued and making such investigations only if they have truly found evidence of him as a suspect. Not only that they had not done these but accusing and giving him blackmails that had eventually pushed Ochoa to admit the murder he didn’t know was also wrong. The Austin police at the very first placed had violated Ochoa’s rights but they had also abused what was written in the law about their job as police enforcers.

It is quite revealing that the police officers that took Ochoa’s matter had done the opposite of their job. Aside from the fact that they are off track of their duties and responsibilities, what we could see in the story is the possibility that there are a lot of these people who are also pushed to admit crimes they are not to be accountable for. The system for these cases, like of Ochoa’s, could have possibly made more people like him ending in jail. This must be stopped. Law must be served rightfully to all of the humanity.

References

Ochoa, O. “My Life is a Broken Puzzle. “ Surviving Justice: America’s Wrongfully Convicted and Exonerated.  Ed. Dave Eggers and Lola Vollen. San Francisco: McSweeney’s, 2005