In a transparent case of the prison industrial complex wanting black men in jail just because, a Georgia man found innocent has been sentenced to 7 years in prison. 

Ramad Chatman, 24, was dutifully serving a five-year probation sentence for a 2012 breaking and entering charge that occurred as a then 19-year-old first-time offender. Abiding by the terms of his probation; court documents show that he was checking in with his probation officer, maintaining gainful employment, paying restitution, and finishing his community service. 

But in 2014 a shop keep identified him as an armed robbery suspect while perusing Facebook. While in similar instances the police will actively locate a suspect for such a violent crime, they instead waited for him to hear that he was sought after and in November 2015 Chatman turned himself in. 

"He turned himself in because he knew he was not guilty," his grandmother Janice Chatman said to channel 11Alive.

Two months later a judge decided on a whim that though Chatman had been fulfilling the terms of his probation, he was likely guilty of the initial crime and sentenced the young man to 10 years backdated to the initial crime. 

Though Ramad maintained his innocence upon arrest he sought to enter into an Alford Plea which would allow him to maintain his innocence while agreeing to a lesser charge. Unfortunately, black men being encouraged to take plea deals instead of jury trials has emerged as a common practice to ensure "justice is served" while cutting back on the pesky inconveniences of the legal system as dictated by the Constitution. 

Even still, Judge John Niedrach refused the deal sending the case to a jury of Chatman's peers. 

But the jury found him innocent.

With the prosecution failing to present a damning case having no weapon or convincingly tying Chatman to the robbery, the jury found him not guilty. 

This is usually the part when the defendant goes home. 

The judge decided to keep him in jail instead. 

Though the details of the case may be (purposely) convoluted, to recap: a 19 years old commits a crime and gets probation. He fulfills his probation for two years when a store worker identifies him via Facebook. Without being convicted of the robbery the judge says "hmm, I was just playing – go to jail". Chatman, now 24, sees the jig and maintains his innocence while trying to plea out. The judge wants the maximum sentence and refuses the plea. The jury finds Chatman innocent. But the judge still wants him in jail. 

Of note, this same judge sentenced a white couple to a year's probation for stealing an elderly man's disability check to feed their pet snake. 

The only difference between that couple and Chatman is that Chatman is a black man in America. Ain't that a b*tch.