Glenn Ford, an innocent African American under Louisiana state law, was sentenced to death in 1984 for the murder of jeweler Isadore Rozeman, a crime he did not commit. He was prosecuted and convicted by Marty Stroud, who had then been 32 years old with a soaring career at the time. During the trial, there was a jury composed of all white people and it took them less than three hours to come to a decision and conclude that Ford was guilty without substantial evidence. The bulk of any evidence displayed at all had come from a local coroner who testified that the fatal shot was fired by a left-handed person, left-handedness being a trait that Mr. Ford portrayed. Ford was easily sent to jail, where he has remained for almost 30 years in constant suffering at the notorious Angola prison in Louisiana. However, a miracle occurred when the real murderer, Jake Robinson, finally confessed to a police informant, causing Ford to be released with no evidence of him being guilty anymore. He was entitled $400,000 in compensation for the many years he spent wasting away in prison, but instead was given a $30 gift certificate for his release.

When I spoke to Sebastian Carrero, a sophomore at WHHS, about the matter, he responded, “Along with many wrongfully convicted prisoners, Ford suffered from bad luck. Despite what the article believes of Stroud, it is not entirely his fault because Stroud was just doing his job as a lawyer and law is indeed not a compassionate business”.

It is unfair that Ford received such little compensation? I strongly believe he was entitled to more than thirty dollars. He desperately needed more money to survive for maybe just for a month while he looked for a job with somewhat of a steady income. On the other hand, is it right to have Stroud brand himself with the “scarlet letter” of shame?” He, along with many others, are greatly frustrated by the life Glenn Ford was forced to live, which ended shortly after his release, primarily because of severe sickness. This matter should open the eyes of individuals all over the world and help our nation realize the drastic changes that it is in need of. If we fail to do so, Glenn Ford will not be the last innocent prisoner in America.