Lawsuits cost Illinois Taxpayers money

The premise of this article in the Chicago Tribune is that lawsuits cost the taxpayers money.   It seems like a backhanded slam against those who have been wronged by a corrupt legal system and are getting their court ordered justice.   St. Paul insurance is paying for Jerry Hobbs' defense after he was accused of the rape and murder of his daughter and her friend in 2005, then allegedly beat into a confession by waukegan and zion police officers.  He was later cleared, not through DNA evidence, but because police on the east coast found the REAL attacker who's DNA matched that recovered from Hobbs' daughter and friend AFTER this man had been caught attacking more people.   

But experts say taxpayers ultimately end up bearing the expense of lawsuits over alleged wrongful arrests and prosecutions, cases that continue to come to light through DNA evidence. Counties and cities stung by big losses from these cases could struggle to find affordable coverage, experts said.

 This sends a clear message that our Law Enforcement Agencies, and prosecutors are far too irresponsible to prosecute even the smallest of infractions of the law.   The moral compass of right and wrong is so far away from legal right and wrong that it's a serious wonder to me that prosecutors, judges, lawyers and cops can find their way to and from work every day.   What's worse is that in spite of Jerry Hobbs' case, there are still many more DNA corrected cases in Illinois. 

Lawsuits over wrongful convictions, in particular, have cost the state of Illinois and various municipalities $195.7 million in judgments, settlements, compensation and court fees in the two decades since DNA technology started freeing inmates, according to the Center on Wrongful Convictions and the Better Government Association.

When a corrupt Chicago cop tortures people, and he's employed by the city... you can bet that would cost the city money, much like if I had a security company, and my employees routinely tortured people... you can bet my company would pay for it in a lawsuit!  

Lake County isn't the only jurisdiction to tangle with an insurance company over a criminal case. Last year, a company that sold liability insurance to Will County fought against paying the remaining damages awarded to Kevin Fox and his wife, Melissa. Kevin Fox spent eight months in jail — on charges he killed his 3-year-old daughter, Riley, in 2004 — before he was freed by DNA evidence.

In April 2010, an appeals court agreed with a federal jury's 2007 finding that Will County police framed Fox, and he was awarded $8 million, including compensatory and punitive damages.

The worst thing about the Fox case, is that those who framed Kevin Fox will not see jail time, or any real justice.    You are the people, these scum are torturing, beating and framing other people like you, don't let them get away with it, make sure they get tried, and convicted, if you run into barriers with prosecutors and judges... replace them!   Try by request first, but ultimately by force if necessary, they work FOR you... not OVER you.