A magnificent story from This American Life

There is a sting in the tail of this story. Near the end, the innocent man's lawyer says "If Collin Warner had lived in Texas, or Florida, or Louisiana, he'd have been dead a long time ago. And that would have been the end of it."

If you believe in capital punishment, that must be a pretty sobering thought. The people in the bureaucracy responsible for catching and killing the right person are OK at it, but no more than that.

Every time Collin Warner came up for parole (he was sentenced to 15 years) he was asked if he was sorry for what he had done. Every time he stated that he didn't do it. He served 20 years.