Quote:
Originally posted by ktsnake
One of the problems with our justice system is that prosecutors often think of themselves as "winning" when they put someone away. Some folks like to win at all costs. They probably get pretty tired of seeing guilty people walk and therefore, are going to be less likely to realize that a person is innocent when the facts start pointing that way.
Does anyone think for a second that if she retracted her story that the prosecution would have continued?
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This is very true. Now, I'm not saying that there are no good prosecutors because there are, but some of them have a very strange win-at-any-cost mindset and are like pit bulls who refuse to let go of a case no matter what -- and often the police are the same way, and often the judges favor the prosecution. When judges are elected (and this is especially common in conservative counties) they want to appear "tough on crime" even when it isn't warranted.
People who falsely accuse someone of a crime are the lowest of the low. Yes, I think there should be punishment, but I'd also be worried that by punishing people like this woman, we're discouraging others who have done the same thing from coming forward and admitting it. If I were in jail on false charges, you're damn right I'd rather be out even if the fake victim didn't get punished in any way.