7.29.2007
"if she weighs the same as a duck..."
What's a good way to get people to testify in court when they're scared to do so, fearing reprisals from gang members and the like? Why, threaten them with jail time, too - that way, after the gang burns their house down, they'll have a place to live after they testify. I'm sure their new neighbors - who, you know, might be members of that very same gang - will be more than glad to help them out.
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2 comments:
"I got better."
Baltimore is a centerpiece of thug-life Stop Snitching campaign. Silence has always aided criminals. I'm not sure I could stand up to that level of intimidation.
I really think that the legal system ought to recognize, in certain kinds of cases where there's a likelihood of reprisal against jurors and witnesses (and that's a situation that can be adjudged much in the way flight risk is accounted for when bail is set, etc.), that there's a need for anonymity. I realize it goes against the value placed on openness and transparency in the legal system (i.e., you should be able to see your accuser, know what you're accused of, etc.), but some sort of compromise is necessary. People should not have to weigh "will my house get burned down?" vs. "will my missing testimony allow someone to go free and kill someone else?"
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