Stoll was the last of the original defendants left in prison. With the help of the North California Innocence Project, he challenged his conviction. The only strong evidence presented by the state was the testimony of his own son, Jed. All of the children who had accused Stoll recanted. Jed did not, although he admitted when challenged that he had no specific recollections of abuse, but that he felt that he had suffered it. This bore hard on James, who felt that Jed had been intimidated into telling the story as a child, and that his feelings were shaped by years of being told that he was just in denial.
Stoll was freed in May of 2004 after suffering 20 years in prison. 34 of the convictions were ultimately reversed. Unfortunately, two of the accused died in prison.
Witch Hunt may not be an entirely accurate title, since there was no wave of mob anger typical of other "witch hunts." The documentary is unable to explain what caused authorities to focus their attention on these people or why they acted unethically — and illegally — to secure their convictions.
Those involved in the prosecution are understandably absent from the documentary. District Attorney Jagels — who still holds office — declined to appear in the film due to "pending lawsuits." The only authority figure to be seen is Donny Youngblood, former Detective Commander of the Sheriff's Department and current Sheriff of Bakersfield. Youngblood blames the convictions on a lack of training — specifically in the treatment of juvenile witnesses. His most telling comment is that "what went wrong — if anything went wrong -- was that we probably should have relied more on experts or professional counselors" (emphasis added). If Youngblood did comment on the evidence withheld from the defense — hard to describe as an accident — it was not included in the film.
The film does an effective job of conveying the human tragedy of parents forcibly removed from their children and shoved into prison. It also tells of the children, particularly their difficult time in dealing with the guilt of having done such a thing to their own parents.
The ultimate message of the film, as I see it, is only mentioned briefly. Witch Hunt does impress upon the viewer the difficulty of proving your innocence, especially after being convicted under dubious circumstances. But it only touches on the hysteria that accompanies stories of child molestation in this country. One observer notes that we, as a society, are "far more fearful than statistics or objective proof would show." It is this hysteria that can convince a jury to send people to prison even if there's just a chance that they may be guilty. And it's this hysteria that forces convicted sex offenders — guilty or innocent — to be forever marked with a scarlet letter under our laws.
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