December 30, 2005

Transport Flour, Rot in Jail for 3 Weeks

I hope she gets every cent she's asking for.

This story is so horrifying on so many levels - and of course a scary reminder of the fact that we might be putting people in prison on the basis of botched tests with some frequency. At least in this case the wrongly accused has been vindicated - but it's troubling that this ever happens in the first place.

Posted by armand at December 30, 2005 12:32 PM | TrackBack | Posted to Law and the Courts


Comments

I was just thinking about posting on this after reading it over on Balloon Juice. How ridiculous. A bit stupid to carry flour in condoms, but that it would take three weeks to figure out that it wasn't cocaine mixed with opium? I'm no drug user, so I don't know, but wouldn't that be really stupid to mix two high priced drugs like that anyway?

Posted by: binky at December 30, 2005 12:44 PM | PERMALINK

Afraid I have to disagree with you here, Armand. She did something monumentally stupid and yes, the screeners overreacted, but you don't go and sue them to cover up your own stupidity.

Posted by: Elayne Riggs at December 30, 2005 01:08 PM | PERMALINK

Monumentally stupid I'll grant you. Jaw-droppingly so, in fact. But being forced to stay in prison for 3 weeks because the government can't properly test for drugs ... I think that sort of gross, scary inefficiency and incompetence makes a lawsuit entirely appropriate.

I will step back from the above and suggest that maybe she's asking for too much money. But I put a pretty high value on my freedom (even just 3 weeks of it) and I think she's due fair compensation.

Posted by: Armand at December 30, 2005 01:15 PM | PERMALINK
Post a comment









Remember personal info?