An Interview with Wrongfully Convicted Tim Masters

Man says bogus conviction leaves him without wife, job - CNN.com - Here's an interesting interview with Tim Masters, who spent 10 years in prison, and was hounded for 12 years prior to that, for a murder he did not commit.

CNN: What did you have the hardest time getting used to after being in prison so long?

Masters: Maybe cell phones? Cell phones are everywhere now. They didn't used to be so common. I had a cell phone before I was arrested, but the last year before I was arrested, I didn't even keep service on it. Now, I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have a cell phone. It has my calendar, my address book, everything on it.

I've often wondered about that. As most of you know, I have a friend in prison and I've often wondered how he will react to the insane influx of technological advancements since he's been locked up. I mean, he's said stuff to me on the phone like, "I hate computers, I don't think I'll even own one when I get out" and it's virtually impossible to explain to him how dependent our society is on them now. In just the 5 years since he got locked up, computer use has increased and changed. Seriously, try explaining Twitter to someone who doesn't even have an idea the kind of influence Google has on the world, or text messaging to someone I used to get to call me by calling his analog pager. I'd love to hear other people's stories about getting used to today's technology after a long stint in lock-up.

CNN: Do you have trouble finding a job because of your time in jail?

Masters: Yeah, I think that has a lot to do with it. The first thing that comes up on a background check is "charges dismissed -- first-degree murder."

What? Shouldn't they remove all mention of their massive mistake from his record? I mean, I know people are still going to recognize him from news outlets and maybe hearing rumors, but do they have to leave this on his record so that people who maybe have not heard of him can avoid forming an immediate opinion of this innocent man?

CNN: Any hard feelings toward the Fort Collins Police Department or the prosecutors in the case?

Masters: Oh, absolutely. They locked me up for a decade for something I didn't do.

And the award for most asinine question in an interview goes to....

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