4 ms·

You know the saying "if you like sausages never go to the sausage factory"? Well I've got some bad news for you about the justice system. We like to think of c

You know the saying "if you like sausages never go to the sausage factory"? Well I've got some bad news for you about the justice system. We like to think of courts and juries in the idealistic view given to us in school. Its just like "12 Angry Men". Everyone gets their fair shake in court. Even if 11 people want to convict and go home the 12th one will stand up right? After all, you're a reasonable person. You can't imagine just convicting a guy without a reasonable discussion. Surely enough of your fellow citizens are the same? The truth is a shocking amount of people in society just have deference to authority figures. They'll trust whatever expert the prosecution produces. You would think that courts have standards for what counts as experts, but the truth is the standards are horribly lacking. Shows like CSI give the average citizen a cops and robbers view of reality. When is the last time an episode of CSI didn't end with the guy getting caught and convicted? Have they ever made a mistake in CSI? Made an ambiguous decision? And why wouldn't the DA choose to prosecute as much as possible? You don't want to appear weak on crime. After all, you have an election to win if you want to keep your job. Trial by jury is only as good as the society within which it exists.

sixothree 9y ago
12 Angry Men would never play out in my state where you can be convicted for murder by 10 of the 12 jurors voting guilty.
- bryanrasmussen 9y ago
  which state is that? Does it have a beyond a reasonable doubt standard, because if it does this implies a validation of the 28% crazification of the population theory.
WalterBright 9y ago
I heard that "Perry Mason" was a response to inept prosecutions (the defendant always looks hopelessly guilty, and Mason always proves him innocent).
balabaster 9y ago
> When is the last time an episode of CSI didn't end with the guy getting caught and convicted? Have they ever made a mistake in CSI? Made an ambiguous decision? Actually there was one episode where they knowingly sent down an innocent man in CSI:Miami. A mentally challenged man had been unwittingly framed by his brother for a murder he didn't commit. The piece of evidence that sends him to jail if I recall correctly was a tie used in the crime that the brother asked his mentally challenged brother to retrieve from the back of the truck putting his DNA or fingerprint on it. The team know the kid they're sending down is innocent, but the evidence is the evidence and their hands are tied. I can't for the life of me find a link to the episode. Perhaps someone with more Google-fu than me could assist.

sixothree 9y ago

12 Angry Men would never play out in my state where you can be convicted for murder by 10 of the 12 jurors voting guilty.

bryanrasmussen 9y ago
which state is that? Does it have a beyond a reasonable doubt standard, because if it does this implies a validation of the 28% crazification of the population theory.

WalterBright 9y ago

I heard that "Perry Mason" was a response to inept prosecutions (the defendant always looks hopelessly guilty, and Mason always proves him innocent).

balabaster 9y ago

> When is the last time an episode of CSI didn't end with the guy getting caught and convicted? Have they ever made a mistake in CSI? Made an ambiguous decision? Actually there was one episode where they knowingly sent down an innocent man in CSI:Miami. A mentally challenged man had been unwittingly framed by his brother for a murder he didn't commit. The piece of evidence that sends him to jail if I recall correctly was a tie used in the crime that the brother asked his mentally challenged brother to retrieve from the back of the truck putting his DNA or fingerprint on it. The team know the kid they're sending down is innocent, but the evidence is the evidence and their hands are tied. I can't for the life of me find a link to the episode. Perhaps someone with more Google-fu than me could assist.