When crimes occur particularly murders we all want the perpetrators located and punished without delay. The reality is that criminals do their deeds in private surroundings and few witnesses can truthfully tell us just what happened.We like to think that the police and the latest technology will provide a solid roadmap to the suspect. The sad truth is most crimes are still solved by police obtaining or saying they obtained confessions. This is far too often just not reliable evidence.
Many Americans can’t separate their hate for a crime from their hate of who they believe committed the crime. Americans rely on the police and press to tell them who is guilty. The idea of Due Process and the rights of the accused seem like nothing more than roadblocks preventing justice and punishment.
People also wrongly believe high priced lawyers get guilty suspects off every most or all of the time. Nothing can be further from the truth. Over 80% of all people arrested for crimes are convicted including thousands of innocent people.
When you are evaluating a suspect’s guilt you have to remember the police are sometimes under tremendous pressure to catch killers and such. The media always seems to ratify what the police have claimed. We want to believe that the crimes are solved so much that we turn a blind eye to the needs for fact finding by our courts. The real danger is that for every innocent person convicted the real criminals remain free to victimize others.
We must allow attorneys and defense investigators respect and the cooperation so they can do their jobs. The danger is if we fail justice is never served. That innocent person on Death Row may be your parent sibling or child. There are many on death Row who have never been in trouble with the law until they were arrested and convicted for murder.
Two such high profile cases I can think of are Debra Milke (Arizona) and Scott Peterson (California). Neither of these condemned prisoners had criminal histories. These cases both lack evidence and scream for further investigation.
Our system of justice must rely on evidence rather than public hate to bring about convictions or our justice system will become a nightmare like that created during the Third Reich of Nazi Germany. I don’t think any American wants that to happen. Please, always keep an open mind to Due Process.
3 comments:
I have jury duty (again) November 23rd and look forward to doing my very best.
Googling "Jury Responsibilities" comes up with a lot of good information but, unfortunately, the first ten (10) I checked failed to mention "Jury Nullification". And I know from past experience, judges will not mention it either.
Ignorance is a terrible thing.
The problem with the new "wrongful convictions" movement is that most of it is run by defense attorneys who have agendas in seeking wealth and plublicity.
Any Officer of the law, Attorney, and judge can speak "off the record" and admit that the American court system needs a much over due overhaul.
What the public, generaly, doesen't know, and jurists for that matter, are rules of evidence.
There are HUGE wheeling and dealings behind the cases before anything hits the stand. THAT HAS TO BE LET INTO TRIAL.
If you want to change this Bullshit, everyone and everything hits the stand. Attorneys, defendents, phone, video, witnesses, everyone involved hits that stand and speak the truth.
The TRUTH to all this wrongfull conviction/admission bull is that the detectives are WAY WAY WAY overburdened with cases that they demand such high quality for such low life repeate offenders;99.9% who are guilty.
The second factor in the wrongful convictions movement is that most of the this is done by "after the case" summaries.
THATS PROPOSTEROUS!!!! This is how they convince people their doing the right thing.
If the general public new the pre trial bullshit about evidence, delt between the lawyers, there would be no wrongfull conviction movements, law suits would be awarded at under 30 grand, and the fucking lawyers would be jailed for the bullshit they created.
Instead, the lowly copper at the bottom of the chain is frowned upon.
Let O.J. and his team laugh away, god bless the wrongfull convictions movement...
TOO many biased investigator types out there.I used to be a gas and burn them all type of guy,time and experience on the job has changed me.
I have seen the many flaws in our legal system that often has little to do with justice.I would rather let 1,000,000 bad guys go than imprison or execute 1 innocent.
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