Referring to the innocent being wrongfully convicted and jailed, I said: > > It's a crime in > > which we are all complicit, and for which we all bear some > > responsibility.
And, upon reflection, Keith succinctly asked: > From where does *that* conclusion derive? >From democracy. You know, government "of the people, for the people", all that stuff? The justice system and the penal system are set up and run by the government, which represents The People, and which is elected by The People. In the US, criminal prosecutions are in the style of cause "The State vs. John Doe" or even (in some states) "The People vs. John Doe". The prosecutor represents society at large. Jury trials are before a "jury of peers", who represent society at large. Further, if the police, prosecutors and court system are incompetent, over-aggressive, or corrupt, the ultimate solution rests with the electors to bring in a government which will reform the system, and sweep out such evils. Keith, I know that saying that we're all complicit and responsible for wrongful convictions is a bit remote, but I guess that I was kind of throwing a bit of political theory into the discussion <g>. cheers, frank -- "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept." -Henri Cartier-Bresson
