I can't stress enough how this is gross neglegience on the side of the prosecution and justice system, I'd even say treason towards the affected citizens. Having a criminal record denies you opportunities in life and some countries won't even ever let you work or travel within their borders anymore, regardless if after a period of time a criminal record has been cleared in your home country for example due to expiry. For example, the disembarkment card for air travellers of any kind to Japan includes a mandatory question "have you ever been convicted of a crime including countries other than Japan" yes/no and the text of card leaves you no choice but to circle yes and guarantee that with your signature (or circle no and lie, running the risk of committing a crime in Japan if they do a check). Based on that info alone, they may cross-examine you or deny entry even to tourists at the airport.

Again, leaving innocent citizens with a record cannot be excused on any level after the problem has become known.