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by bmelton 944 days ago
I believe Martin Shkrelli would disagree

I think that (sadly) the key distinction in the American justice system has to do with how easily it is to justify your prosecution to the public. If you're wildly popular, you're probably able to get away with quite a lot. If you're wildly unpopular, it's probably pretty easy to get a conviction on any number of things.
2 comments
fennecbutt 943 days ago
That's why juries suck. For some reason we pretend that even a random group of people can't have shared biases. Especially when there's a lack of evidence, it opens a jury up to judging someone based on their race, gender, appearance etc and I've seen it happen.
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reactordev 944 days ago
define justice...

Justice, in its broadest sense, is the concept that individuals are to be treated in a manner that is equitable and fair. A society in which justice has been achieved would be one in which individuals receive what they "deserve"

So, what do they deserve? It's up to a panel of peers to determine. Peers, mind you, that are representative of the society you live in.

So in a sense, public outcry and court of public opinion can sway personal opinions on what is just and fair and determine what people deserve. I find the entire system malleable and ripe for corruption.

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lowkeyoptimist 944 days ago
What system, in your world, is not malleable and ripe for corruption? In your world democracy would be the most malleable and corrupt while autocracy would be the least given the boundaries you laid out.
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broken-kebab 943 days ago
In autocratic regimes justice is usually perverted from the top (comrade district secretary calls district judge to affect proceedings - in USSR it was informally known as "phone law"), in democracies you usually need to involve wider public pressure to achieve similar results. It's definitely makes democracy better, because to sway public opinion is costlier, more visible and at least partially deliberative endeavor. But legal justice is not moral justice in any political system, and there are always ways to at least nudge legal system in a way that is more convenient for some forces.
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