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IS the justice system fair? Twelve
people, totally untrained in law are plucked from the street and put in a
position of judging fellow citizens on very serious criminal charges. These untrained jurors come face
to face with highly professional lawyers who are very skilled in manipulating
evidence and facts to "prove" their case. These lawyers do not care if an
innocent person is found guilty, as long as they get the status-boosting
verdict they desire. Resulting verdicts have an
enormous impact on the victim(s), accused, their families and society.
Untrained people should not be put in a position where they have to make
decisions of such magnitude. Scott Watson was sentenced to life
for murder in a case where there were no bodies, no weapon and no witnesses
to the crime. Other unbelievable verdicts which spring to mind were when
Peter Ellis, David Bain and David Dougherty were sentenced, not to mention
the infamous Arthur Allan Thomas debacle. I am not a soft-hearted,
do-gooder, I believe in harsh sentences for serious crimes, but I loathe the
thought of innocent people being found guilty by juries who have been conned
by experts in manipulation. |
