Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Reasonable Doubt

Wow! It still amazes me that people who have not spent one minute in a courtroom on a case can be upset at the outcome of a particular case. It astounds me.

And I bet you think I am talking about that case in Florida. The one that has some woman screaming on television that the defendant is guilty. Has been for months.

But I am really not. Although to be honest that case did bring the subject up.

No, the subject is reasonable doubt. The right to be ASSUMED INNOCENT all the way through a trial until a deliberating jury determines that there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that guilt resides with a particular defendant.

That's ANYBODY. That is the black guy. The homeless woman.The junkie. The college kid. The city councilman.The local hero.

That's any crime. Hunting on private property. Reckless driving. Stealing. Embezzlement. Murder. Murder of ANYONE.

But too often cases come to court based not on fact but on raw emotion. We THINK this is a bad thing and we THINK this person did it. So the only right answer is to find the person guilty.

It happens with child molestation cases. Every day. Someone makes an accusation. There is no physical proof. There might be suspicious behavior but no proof. But that is ok.  We want to find them guilty.

And our media jumps all over it.

I read a blog today that said that he would not try to explain the Constitution to those who screamed their outrage today because they would never learn and they didn't care.

I think people DO care.

They need to be told. AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN.

The prosecution MUST prove beyond a REASONABLE DOUBT. They must prove with facts, not emotion.

That is our law, our Constitution.

I think it still lives.

God Bless America

1 comment:

  1. Truth...

    I think people also don't stop tho think that "not guilty" is not the same as "innocent." Maybe she did it, maybe not. But in the grand scheme of things, it's better to let a few of the guilty walk rather than imprison a single innocent person...

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