And justice for all

By David Thiessen

I have just finished following some of the Casey Anthony trial. I was not shocked but relieved to hear the not guilty verdict for the Florida prosecutors failed to present a legitimate case, failed to provide real evidence and failed to even prove a crime had been committed.

It was a complete travesty but because of the age of the supposed victim, it received national attention and Miss Anthony was tried in the media on a daily basis as well as subjected to a legal government approved kangaroo court and vigilante ``justice.” Happily, the jury saw through the façade of the prosecutor’s fake case and made the right decision.

Justice needs to be immune from the influence of the hateful (like Nancy Grace), the uneducated (the American public) and it needs to remain free from the manipulation of those who think that justice is restricted to only the victim.

People need to remember that justice is for both the victim and the accused and its meaning and application does not change because the age of the supposed victim is younger than an adult’s. If Miss Anthony could not receive a fair trial, who could? Certainly not any of those who seek to do her harm after being duly tried and found not guilty by the American legal system.

The American system does work, if its officers allow it to and in this case they were the main offenders of it, harming it to almost irreparable lengths. What makes the American system a failure is that the accused are often tried and found guilty in the media (and by extension the public). Then, if found innocent or not guilty, the accused’s life is forever altered, if not ruined, simply because the media and the public believe otherwise.

The media, and the public, tend to ignore the rules of the legal system, (one of the most important one is ‘innocent until proven guilty’), and go with innuendo, emotion, half-truths and other non-evidentiary comments. Unfortunately for the accused, the media and the public do not let go of these untruths when corrected by the truth and the accused has the charges hang over their heads for the rest of their lives.

This simply is not right. Britain has it correct in many ways as they bar the media from discussing a trial until it is over. Korea has it right in other ways by hiding the face of the accused and limiting the publication of their names.

Of course the Bible has it correct in all ways and it starts with, ``do unto others as ye would have them do unto you.” In other words, if you want a fair trial, justice, honesty then you must give the same to others, even the most hated, vile felon ever arrested. No excuses.

Governments have a responsibility to protect all of its citizens from unlawful reprisals and they must ensure that the accused does not pay for a crime the system has deemed not guilty. If they don’t and act like the Florida prosecutors office has then justice is non-existent.

Justice doesn’t pander to the electorate and will stand up in face of the popular idea to make sure the accused is guilty first by the rules of law not public or media opinion. The Bible gives governments direction in how to handle trials and in Micah 6:8 we read: ``…And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy…”

Let’s be wise and seek justice while it may be found, for the good of all.

The writer is an English teacher in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. He can be reached at archeologist@fastmail.fm.