With Amanda Knox back in Seattle and free and Casey Anthony free and in hiding, it seems an opportune moment to look at the inequities and injustices in criminal justice.
No one knows, with certainty, the level of culpability each individual had in the crimes with which they were charged and then acquitted. Even with nine years as a prosecutor and fifteen as a criminal defense attorney I have no idea. But, the media and the citizens of our country have rushed to judgment on each of these women, and the cry is that Amanda Knox is innocent and Casey Anthony is guilty.
From my tiny corner view of the cases, there are striking similarities: issues with evidence: lack of and contamination of; issues with DNA evidence, lack of and contamination of; accusations based on people’s impressions of the post crime behavior of the accused (dancing all night versus cartwheels in the police station; witnesses pointing fingers or providing alibi testimony. Self-incriminating statements, pressure by law enforcement, but no clear evidence of the crime itself.
We are all one piece of bad luck away from being accused of a crime we didn’t commit. Don’t allow yourself to be the victim of an unequal system. Do exercise your rights. Always exercise your common sense!