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January 23, 2008
Posted: 12:45 PM ET
NEW YORK – Last week, disgraced former prosecutor Mike Nifong filed for personal bankruptcy, claiming as much as $180 million in potential liabilities as a consequence of the lawsuits directed at him by the Duke players.
Mike Nifong spent a day in jail for criminal contempt.
I’ve heard several commentators asking, “Hasn’t Nifong suffered enough?” I guess the answer depends upon who is answering the question. Clearly, the former players would suggest that Nifong’s travails are faint retribution for his illegal conduct. They faced the real possibility of spending a significant amount of time in jail—not to mention the complete destruction of their reputations—before the justice system belatedly rescued them from Nifong’s excesses. And it would be hard to disagree with them. This is a public official who held these men and their families, and indeed the entire justice system, hostage while he engaged in an entirely unprofessional, inept, and ultimately terrifying campaign fueled entirely by misguided and self-gratifying motives. Fortunately, this “rogue” prosecutor was stopped before the Duke players found themselves in a prison cell, but the damage inflicted upon the public perception of the justice system will certainly linger. Once, during my career as a prosecutor, I convicted an innocent man. There was nothing sinister about the prosecution—it was an armed robbery conviction based upon the eye-witness testimony of the victim. As it turned out, the victim had made an innocent—yet drastic—mistake in her identification and, fortunately, we were able to free the man within a few months. But I’ve always been haunted by the specter of jailing an innocent man. Apparently, Nifong allowed his desire for fame and job security to pervert all concepts of justice and fairness. As a result, he has lost his job, his career, and his reputation—and now his financial standing. Some would say that’s a small price for him to pay for the injustice he created. – Jack Ford, In Session anchor Filed under: Jack Ford |
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