Line #34 PlayingWith/WrongfulAccusationInsurance


1	'''Basic Trope''': A character is immune from crimes committed while proving innocence.
2	* '''Straight''': Bob is trying to prove that he's innocent of an accused crime, and to do so, he breaks into someone's house. He's not charged with breaking & entering after being proven innocent.
3	* '''Exaggerated''': In his quest to prove his innocence, Bob steals from people, resists arrest, kidnaps people, and even assaults a few people.
4	* '''Downplayed''':
5	** Bob doesn't break any laws trying to prove himself innocent, though he does flout a few social mores.
6	** The Judge finds Bob guilty, but decides not to give him any prison or jail time because of the time he already served from his previously wrongful convictions. He still has a criminal record he has to live with for the rest of his life.
7	* '''Justified''':
8	** Bob didn't do that much damage, and he returned whatever he stole.
9	** Bob was framed by the government and any evidence that could have exonerated him was taken as part of the cover-up. He can't prove his innocence without breaking the law because the legal system is actively trying to screw him over despite his innocence.
10	** A high-ranking government official sympathetic to Bob's plight pardons him after the fact.
11	** The jury pulls jury nullification during Bob's trial, unwilling to throw an innocent man back into prison.
12	** As Bob limited his law-breaking to those responsible for the issues at hand, the judge accepts his [[IDidWhatIHadToDo Plea of Necessity]].
13	** The authorities can't charge Bob for the crimes that he actually committed without admitting that they screwed up in their original accusations, so they have to drop the whole matter and release Bob.
14	* '''Inverted''': Bob is immune to crimes he commits while proving Alice's guilt.
15	* '''Subverted''':
16	** Bob proves his innocence, and then is immediately charged with breaking and entering.
17	** [[SympatheticInspectorAntagonist Detective Charlie]] stops Bob before he digs himself in any further. "I'm trying to prove you innocent ''[[ByTheBookCop the right way]]'', so [[WhatTheHellHero don't go making my job any harder!]]"
18	** Because Bob used illegal means to obtain the evidence needed to clear his name, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit_of_the_poisonous_tree none of it is admissible in court]] and [[ShaggyDogStory he's found guilty on all charges anyway.]]
19	* '''Double Subverted''':
20	** ...But his story has resonated with so many people that public outcry leads to his release.
21	** Bob is convicted of breaking and entering, but the judge applies the time served for the wrongful accusation to his actual crimes, reducing or even nullifying his sentence.
22	* '''Parodied''': "But what about your escape from prison? Why are you avoiding charges for that?" "Because, shut up that's why."
23	* '''Zig Zagged''': Bob commits crimes to prove himself innocent - but is later charged with them. However he gets off from it - by blackmailing them with dirty laundry. The material comes out and he gets charged with blackmail - but he gets pardoned for uncovering the governmental conspiracy and the president in power wants to distance himself from the conspiracy as much as possible to avoid torpedoing his reelection campaign - pardoning the one who exposed it would be showing that he isn't connected to it.
24	* '''Averted''':
25	** Bob doesn't commit any crimes to prove himself innocent.
26	** The crime becomes utterly irrelevant given [[ZombieApocalypse other issues]] [[NuclearOption mean a]] [[AfterTheEnd sudden lack of society]].
27	* '''Enforced''': Originally Bob faced charges for escaping prison. However it fared poorly with test audiences who saw it as DiabolusExMachina so it got dropped.
28	* '''Lampshaded''': "Well, I have to break in here to obtain proof that he wasn't where he said he was...hopefully I'll get let off for it."
29	* '''Invoked''': Tropistan's code of laws considers escaping, evading authorities, and reasonable measures legal if they can prove them-self innocent of the initial crime. The logic being that if the initial judgement wasn't wrong then they wouldn't need to commit them to prove their innocence in the first place.
30	* '''Exploited''': Bob truly is a criminal, but he knows that if he uses the "I was just proving my innocence" excuse, he'll get off scot free... [[NotMeThisTime Especially if he really didn't do it.]]
31	* '''Defied''': "I understand that you were trying to prove yourself innocent, but the laws apply to everyone no matter what."
32	* '''Discussed''': "This is about the crime Bob was accused of, not the ones he had to do afterwards."
33	* '''Conversed''': ???
34	* '''Implied''': Bob is shown taken back into custody after breaking out. However he is seen in events a few days after and later shows up clean on a criminal record check without any trickery.
35	* '''Deconstructed''': Bob is treated as a KarmaHoudini by the people he screwed over in his attempt to prove his innocence. Alice in particular believes Bob is a VillainWithGoodPublicity and becomes a VigilanteWoman ready to kill him for his crimes.
36	* '''Reconstructed''': Alice starts to commit crimes to expose Bob's crimes to the public. She goes through a HeroicBSOD when she realizes she's no different from Bob since now there are people wanting revenge on her the same way she wanted revenge against Bob. She decides to let go of her desire for revenge to avoid a harmful cycle of revenge, even if it means Bob [[KarmaHoudini faces no punishment]].
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38	Back to WrongfulAccusationInsurance
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40	%% Optional items, added after Reconstructed, at your discretion:
41	%%
42	%%* '''Plotted A Good Waste''': ???
43	%%* '''Played For Laughs''': ???

Context PlayingWith / WrongfulAccusationInsurance