Miguel de Maria -> RE: Justice, UK style (Dec. 8 2003 22:09:16)
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My fiance's brother, Jay, was a prosecutor here in Arizona for several years. Working in an area near a popular lake, he prosecuted God knows how many DUIs. Jay, like most prosecutors, was very intent on putting people away. There is a mentality among prosecutors that everyone charged with a crime should be put away, for as long as possible. Not knowing the law is not a defense. Sometimes, not committing the crime is no defense. He told us about certain cases where he would go ahead and prosecute although he knew that no crime was committed. His conviction rate was over 90%. This is how it works around here, people run for office boasting of being "tough on crime." Mercy is just not part of their ethos. Now my fiance used to be a public defender for a time. They burned her out though. There was a case where her client was accused of a upper-end misdemeanor that he didn't commit. The prosecution had no case. So, they threatened to charge him with a felony if he didn't plead to the misdemeanor. This means that if they managed to get a guilty verdict (very easy--most jurors believe that if you are accused, you are guilty), he would be in jail for many years--for NOT committing a misdemeanor. If he was not found guilty, being charged with a felony would be part of his permanent record, and would cut him out of public service jobs. Makes you sick to your stomach, doesn't it? An innoccent, young man, sacrificed to a prosecutor's soulless ambition. Now her brother, Jay, is a public defender, not because he wants to help people but becuase he wanted to move here to Phoenix. He landed in the DUI unit. As a former prosecutor, he knows the system in and out and has already gotten a couple of acquittals--for guilty people! He's more interested in winning than in justice, as are 90% of lawyers. As someone pointed out, marijuana possession can get you in a load of trouble here in the US. Given its effects, it seems to be punished disproportionately when compared to alcohol. But people still smoke. Tough laws can make an impact on DUIs, but they still happen. I wonder if the person who killed Guy was rich. People with money get much lighter sentences than poor, ethnic people.
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