Word: conviction
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Well, maybe. The strength of the government's case against him and his co-defendants aside, "beyond a reasonable doubt," the level of proof required to convict a criminal suspect, may not be as high a barrier between Black and jail as he thinks...
...practice, reasonable doubt may make convictions too easy. At least half a dozen studies have found that when the prosecution's case isn't airtight, juries often interpret "beyond a reasonable doubt" to mean, in effect, probably guilty. In one study, prospective jurors said they would be willing to convict on a 60% chance that the suspect had committed the crime. The problem: it's that word, doubt. In a criminal case, prosecutors have the sole burden of proof. Yet the way most courts define "beyond a reasonable doubt" seems to place the burden on the defendant to show...
...knows how often defendants who don't offer a plausible version of events and who merely look guilty get convicted, but DNA tests have revealed more than a few false convictions. There are, however, ways to encourage jurors to convict only when proof is strong. Probably the best option would be to shift the inquiry from whether the prosecution's case evokes doubt to whether it is persuasive. Solan suggests that jurors be "firmly convinced" of guilt, a phrase that focuses on the government's task (to persuade) rather than a defendant's (to create doubt). Several states and federal...
...City of Fear”(Irving Lerner, 1959) is a particularly acerbic mixture of wit and worry. As the Los Angeles Police chase down an escaped convict who has accidentally stolen a cylinder of radioactive Cobalt-60 (he thinks it’s heroin), debate rages as to whether the public should be informed. Though it’s hard-bitten noir with a fierce political edge, the emotional climate of “City of Fear” is distinctly oppressive. Even the roadside billboards seem to be watching...
...proudly posted announcement of an earlier court judgment in which 23 prominent brand manufacturers sued the Silk Market for counterfeiting. On January 17 the Chaoyang district court in Beijing weighed in with the head-snapping pronouncement that there was not enough evidence of counterfeiting at the Silk Market to convict. As I stood there, a young lady from the stall nearest me pulled at my sleeve, trying to get me to come over and view a rack of t-shirts, many of them emblazoned with the names of the very companies that had sued: Versace, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Levi...