> The only reason courthouses are public is so the public can satisfy themselves that the courts are doing their job in a fair way. Don't agree. One purpose of

> The only reason courthouses are public is so the public can satisfy themselves that the courts are doing their job in a fair way. Don't agree. One purpose of public trials is to show the public how much the authorities disapprove of <criminal act X>. That is, public trials are intrinsically show-trials. A second purpose is to punish the defendant for pleading Not Guilty (and/or warn others of the consequences of such a plea); even if you are innocent, your actions will be paraded in public, and subjected to the harshest possible criticism.