Why Is It So Hard for Wrongfully Convicted Women to Get Justice?

September 2, 2017 2:39 PM

"In the early morning hours of June 30, 1995, a fire sparked to life in Kristine Bunch’s mobile home. It fanned out across the floor and climbed up the walls, then formed an impassable barrier across the middle of the trailer. Bunch, 21, snapped awake in the living room. Her three-year-old son, Tony, shrieked for her on the other side of the flames." (Mother Jones)

A couple years old, but still very relevant.

posted by strelitzia (6 comments total)

I'm reminded of the fact that when a man kills his wife- usually because he's a horrible abusive bastard, he gets 15 years and is out in 7. When a woman kills her husband, usually because he's raping and beating her and he children, she gets life without parole or the death penalty. I'm so glad this woman was freed but our Justice system is so fucked with with regards to women. And consider how much worse it is for black women too. If this woman was black, she'd probably still be in jail. We focus so much on how the justice system fails men of color, and lord does it ever, but it fails women of all colors too. We have to broaden our attack.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 2:57 PM on September 2, 2017 [16 favorites]

I meant to Flag this as a Fantastic Post. The drop - down menu is not my friend.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 3:59 PM on September 2, 2017

This article did have stay of hope, namely a project dedicated to proving innocence dedicated to overturning wrongful convictions of women.
The entire court system, whether it's juvenile court, family court, criminal court basically is against women. Everywhere you turn for help, you will be harmed in some fundamental way.
Women in the West are weak in front of this.
We need the Pink Gang.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 4:13 PM on September 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

Disgusting, heartbreaking, shameful, and infuriating.

I also recommend this longform article on Kristine Bunch to get a sense of what it took to overturn her conviction.
posted by Tiny Bungalow at 4:46 AM on September 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

I've always thought it would be the worse form of living hell, to suffer prison wrongfully, for killing a loved-one. Nothing worse than a mother so wronged, over her child. But I fail to comprehend "justice" that doesn't see a simple truth: Any woman who kills her child is insane, else "insane" is a meaningless term.
posted by Goofyy at 2:42 AM on September 5, 2017

Any woman who kills her child is insane, else "insane" is a meaningless term

I'm sorry but no. If you want to go by that kind of definition, then anyone who kills another person is insane. Some people are shitty and kill other people. Some mothers are shitty people and kill their children. Sure, some of them do it because they are insane, but some people are just assholes.
posted by LizBoBiz at 6:36 AM on September 5, 2017