Doug wrote:
>
"I think this was the guy on CNN last night, and he reminded me how
excellent the jury system is. He was really thoughtful, serious, and
articulate. When The System expects people to act that way, they
really do."
--I'd say something that people overlook about why a case like the Jackson case matters is it's encouraging for people who are fighting false charges, especially the false charge of molestation. For someone like, say, Bee Baran, who was falsely charged with molestation and now in jail for over half of his life *and* whose situation is under judicial review <http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/top/features/documents/03917095.asp>
If someone like Jackson could get a guilty verdict when the evidence in this case was so transparently weak, a Baran would have even less hope of getting justice from a system that has already robbed him of half of his life.
Steve
Stephen Philion Assistant Professor, Dept. of Sociology St. Olaf College http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/sociology/People/faculty-staff/steve.html