From: Michael M. Butler (butler@comp-lib.org)
Date: Wed Apr 10 2002 - 16:00:29 MDT
David Lubkin wrote:
> >Another faulty feedback mechanism that I advocate abolishing is the idea
> >that evidence gathered illegally has to be thrown out of court. I say, go
> >ahead and use the evidence to prosecute the criminal, and then also
> >prosecute the person who illegally gathered the evidence. One crime
> >shouldn't absolve another crime.
>
> Absolutely! I've promoted the same exact position myself for years and
> almost everyone I've mentioned it to has been horrified. And, by the way,
> one of the most common objections I hear is the one I raised in my last
> email -- they don't believe that the police or prosecutors would in fact be
> punished. They think that ranks would close, and they would protect their own.
Or--*horrors*--there'd be so much attrition and the courts would be so much
more clogged thar there'd be *anarchy*. *Sigh*
I think that paired convictions is an interesting idea. Use bad evidence to
get a felony conviction, earn a felony conviction of your own. "Good
intentions" or not.
--
butler a t comp - lib . o r g
I am not here to have an argument. I am here as part of a civilization.
Sometimes I forget.
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