Modern Witch Hunts: Assumed Guilty until Proven Innocent

TimK — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:20:53 -0800

Think that if you’re innocent, you have nothing to hide? Or that if you are suspected of a crime, you are still innocent until proven guilty? Think the Salem witch trials, the Japanese-American internment camps, the House Un-American Activities Committee, and Guantánamo Bay are all just historical aberrations that don’t apply to normal people?

Samuel B. Goldberg is a veteran criminal defense attorney. He says he’s seen prosecuted just about every crime there is. And here’s what he says in his Halloween post:

People believe that the police and prosecutors are simply trying to find the truth and “do Justice.” However, most criminal investigations these days, in my opinion, are backwards. The truth is decided and then the investigation to prove the facts really starts. I am not saying that this is intentional, but it happens. As a result, people’s actions, which can often be interpreted in many different ways, are interpreted in the way which fits “the case.”

(Click here for the entire blog post.)

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Modern Witch Hunts: Assumed Guilty until Proven Innocent