The Parole Board Hearing
Speaking at Vincent’s parole hearing was a very emotional time for me. I had never been to a parole hearing before. I had no idea what to expect or what would be expected of me. We pulled in to Angola, this massive and very intimidating prison only to learn that a film crew would be filming the parole hearing for a documentary. The only thing that could be worse at this point would be Vincent getting paroled. When it was time for the hearing they brought us into a small room, four men sat behind a long table in front of me, and the film crew to my left. I fought for my composer, my legs shaking, fighting back the tears I made my why to the chair and sat in front of the board members. I finally found the courage to speak. It was very intimidating having a film crew you didn’t expect, and four men who would decide you fate. To say the least we left there physically and emotionally drained.
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The same goes for Vincent, the hearing was very emotional for him. Will he finally get the justice he is asking for so many years? Will there finally be someone who is serious listening to his side? Will there finally be one who wants to have a serious look at the papers he was able to achieve after all these years? Papers which the D.A. kept secretly in his desk for all these years and kept away from the trial because it didn’t suit him? Vincent had faith in the system, at least the people who worked in the system. He believed that when a person was innocent the truth will be exposed and the police will haunt the real perpetrator. But unfortunately for Vincent the system doesn’t work that way for him and there seems to be people who help the system a bit by putting things at their hand. Did all the people involved in this case ask themselves why a person is able to keep up that struggle to find justice for that many years? That is only possible when the person is innocent and still have a belief in the honesty and fairness of certain people, people who like to believe they are true Christians. But all these people must not think they can buy off their conscience by doing good things in life. One day they have to account before the God in which they believe.