Yes, the banning of the juvenile death penalty was...

[Lady Sidhe]

Originally Posted by case

I can appreciate an interest in something for one's own curiosity. I just suspect that figure is wildly exaggerated, no matter how many crime books or attorneys you know. Have you actually sat down and figured that statistic up, or did you just "feel" like it would be 97% based only on what you read and know? I just find it to be highly presumptuous to spout off a seemingly hard statistic and use it as a basis (among other biased anticdotes) for your argument.


So which is it? Can you cite your reference for that 97% figure or are you really just "guessing"? If you can site it, I might be able to salvage some understanding for your opinion in this matter.

Actuallly, I think my experience counts for something. All you have to do is look at how many people who were guilty who get off on technicalities; evidence of guilt that is supressed by the court for one reason or another--like "it will inflame the jury--therefore these photos will not be allowed"...."Yes, he has a rap sheet as long as my arm for beating his wife and kids, but we're not going to allow the jury to hear that in this case of him murdering said wife and kids--it's not relevant"-- and things of that nature. If you're going to tell me that THOSE things don't happen, and that they DON'T have an effect, you're fooling yourself.

Better yet, instead of wanting statistics from me, considering that when I put stats out there, it doesn't make people look at my argument any differently anyway, why don't you come up with your own to prove to me that the courts don't accord the defendant every right, even above and beyond that of the victim?

And I don't wanna hear about race and gender. Just because someone of a particular race or gender got convicted doesn't mean they're NOT guilty. Just because you're a minority or a woman or a child does not mean that you don't deserve punishment for a crime that you DID commit, merely because a majority, a man, or an adult who committed the same crime got off. That has no relevance to your particular case. I'm sorry that a guilty person went free. Damned sorry. But that doesn't mean that we should let you go, too.