The Duke Lacrosse scandal, and the recent 60 Minutes story on it, point out the abuse that is so easy to perpetrate by prosecutors who have way too much power in our legal system with insufficient checks and balances on that power and an incentive to abuse it.
Written by randomfool on January 25th, 2007 with
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Prosecutors are political animals. They are not interested in seeking justice but, rather, they are interested in seeking headlines in the name of justice. As unfair as the defense side of the equation is sometimes (you clearly can pay for more justice if you have the money), the prosecutorial side is just as much of a hoax as the rest of the legal system. Make no mistake about it, if you are accused of committing a crime that receives media attention you will be subject to a much higher level of legal risk than you would if it were anonymous.
One scene that stands out in recent memory is the “perp walks” of famous business executives after they were arrested. I remember when Ken Lay was arrested and they brought him in for booking and, knowing where the media cameras were placed, parked the car in an empty parking lot as far away from the door and as close to the cameras as possible. The result was video of Lay in handcuffs being lead into the building. Prosecutors are far more interested in delivering “justice” when they can do it in front of TV cameras. Another case that comes to mind is the ruthless legal terrorism that the Santa Barbara District Attorney used against Michael Jackson (I am not defending Jackson but he was not treated fairly).
So, the Duke Lacrosse case presented a particularly juicy opportunity for a misguided prosecutor in need of a boost to his political career. His frothy pursuit of those kids has now landed him in trouble with the state bar for ethics violations. This case, and the recent 60 Minutes story on it, point out the abuse that is so easy to perpetrate by prosecutors who have way too much power in our legal system with insufficient checks and balances on that power and an incentive to abuse it.
Written by randomfool on January 25th, 2007 with
no comments.
Read more articles on General Folly and Lawyers.
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