Mar

10

The Limitations of Memory

March 10, 2009 | 2 Comments

419io0mwasl_ss500_On the Diane Rehm Show yesterday, Diane interviewed the authors of the new book Picking Cotton, about the circumstances that led to the writing of the book:

A rape victim mistakenly accused Ronald Cotton of being her attacker. He served eleven years in prison before DNA evidence exonerated him. They both join Diane [Rehm] to present their joint memoir of injustice and forgiveness.

I found this to be both painful and compelling to listen to, but ultimately, worth the time. It’s an incredibly powerful reminder of the fallibility of  human memory and the impact  DNA testing has had on the criminal justice system. For those of you who cry during Hallmark commercials and the like, this may unleash the waterworks. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

To listen to the segment in Real Audio, click here; for Windows Media, click here.

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Comments

2 Comments so far

  1. Stephanie Carlson on March 11, 2009 8:35 am

    CBS’ Sixty Minutes did an interview this past Sunday (08 March 09) with the author of the book and the man who served time for the crime he didn’t commit. The interview can be purchased from Amazon.com and will be released for distribution in a few weeks.

  2. Jenifer on March 11, 2009 8:58 am

    Thanks for the heads up, Stephanie. You can also see clips on the CBS site:

    http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4852659n (Pt I)
    http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4852677n (Pt II)

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