Re: Presumption of Guilt?!?! (was RE: restorative justice)

[thansen@moscow.com]

Greetings Visionaires -

Yes, I am guilty of forming an opinion that strongly labels those individuals 
currently under charges in Maryland as being guilty.

When statements and evidence (both pro and con) are expressed and presented on 
television, the radio, and newspapers, it becomes virtually impossible not to 
form an opinion toward guilt or innocence.  Multi-celled organisms tend to 
share this character flaw.  If you believe that the defense attorneys, the 
prosecutor, and the judge are not goiing to have any problems impaneling a non-
biased jury in Maryland, you are sadly mistaken.  More than likely this trial 
will experience a change in venue.  The question is "To where?"  Of the entire 
nation that has been exposed to media coverage of these killing over the past 
few weeks, where can they find a sufficent jury pool that has not developed a 
sense of pre-judgement?

The problem is not that pre-judgements are formed, but what an individual does 
with his/her pre-judgement.  I am not going to crawl into a hole and say "They 
are guilty and that is all there is to it."  There may be matters of 
extenuation or mitigation that I am totally unaware of that may seriously 
impact on my pre-judgement.  And when those matters are presented, I am fully 
capable of modifying my judgement.

Those individuals who are not capable of modifying their judgements tend to 
frighten me every election year.  But, to say a person is wrong simply because 
he/she has formed an opinion is unacceptable.

See you at the polls,

Tom Hansen
Moscow

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