10 Days in Jail for Ex-Prosecutor Who Sent Innocent Man to Prison for 25 Years

Justice is served. A former
Texas prosecutor accused of withholding important evidence in a
murder trial, which resulted in an innocent man serving 25 years in
prison, will go to jail. For 10 days. And he’ll pay a $500 fine and
serve 500 hours of community service. The Associated Press
reports:

A former Texas prosecutor who won a conviction that sent an
innocent man to prison for nearly 25 years agreed Friday to serve
10 days in jail and complete 500 hours of community service.

Ken Anderson also agreed to be disbarred and was fined $500 as
part of a sweeping deal that was expected to end all criminal and
civil cases against the embattled ex-district attorney, who
presided over a tough-on-crime Texas county for 30 years.

Anderson faced up to 10 years in prison if convicted of
tampering with evidence in the 1987 murder trial of Michael Morton,
who wrongly spent nearly 25 years in prison.

Ten years becomes 10 days. Wonder if anybody who Anderson
prosecuted or who appeared before Anderson when he became a judge
got such a sweet deal.

Jacob Sullum wrote about the
case and the details in 2011. Back then experts were skeptical
there’d be any sort of punishment at all. They were close, but they
didn’t think disbarment was likely, which means this lopsided
punishment is still more severe than what people thought would
happen.

(Hat tip to Reason commenter The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc)