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Forum: Off Topic

Thread (Discussion): Presumed innocent by the legal system, but we can think what we want

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Message 122260


Posted by steve on Nov 25, 2003 02:16 AM | Also by steve
Gender: Male, Age Bracket: 30 - 39, State: Virginia, Country: United States
With the recent high profile cases of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jackson I've heard a lot of people complaining that people have made up their minds that they're guilty even though they're supposed to be presumed innocent.

That has bothered me.

We all have the right to think what we want. I can feel that someone is guilty. I can feel that someone is innocent. I can be undecided. That is my right. Many people are confusing the US legal system's presumption that a defendant is innocent with citizens' right to think whatever they'd like. A defendant is presumed innocent by the court because in our legal system the burden of proof is on the state to prove guilt and to do so beyond a reasonable doubt.

If people truely believe that just because a court presumes a defendant innocent by default that Joe Citizen should do the same, I am curious what these same people would feel if they lived in another country, one where defendants are presumed guilty by default and must prove their innocence. If that was the case here, would these same people frown upon those who believed someone was innocent, even though they were presumed guilty by the legal system?

Presumed innocent is limited to the legal system. It's not a constraint that citizens have to abide by. At a time in our society where many people are complaining that their rights are being taken away, they should be thankful that they still have the right to believe what they want - including whether someone is innocent or guilty.

See an abbreviation or acronym, but don't know what it stands for? Consult the Glossary.

Thread


122260, steve, Nov 25, 2003 02:16 AM
      122265, poetsdreamscape, Nov 25, 2003 02:29 AM [think what you want]
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