Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Why we love to hate lawyers

Just finished an article at Skeptic.com by Steve Salerno, "Criminal Injustice." One attorney, Gary Spence, who has not lost at trial since 1969, added a sidebar, "Bad Schools, Bad Lawyers, Bad Deals." He claims almost all defendants "could claim inadequate representation." He also states that, "There are thousands of people in the penitentiary system who are not guilty of the crimes they are charged with." The prosecutors offer extortionary tactics of taking a plea for a short period of years or facing 20 years-to-life by going to trial. The power of the state is very nearly absolute, so in absolute desperation innocent people will admit. Does anybody beside me see the flaws in this system?