I’ve always given the greater benefit of the doubt to prosecutors and police over the accused and defense lawyers. No more. The Duke lacrosse case has undermined my faith in “the system.” Just today there is a story in The Herald-Sun in which a man charge in a 1976 murder claims to have been victimized by just the kind of botched lineup that the Duke lacrosse players underwent. A year ago I would have scoffed at the accused’s allegations. No more.
The ease with which an innocent person can be arrested for a serious crime was displayed in last night’s season premier of “CSI:Miami.” The failure of police and crime scene investigators to be led by the evidence rather than their preconceived idea of what happened led to a false arrest. Everything came out OK in the TV drama, but in real life not always. The manner in which the widely commented upon “perfect storm” of race, gender and class politics led to the tsunami that engulfed the three lacrosse players shows it’s not only crime scene investigators who are willing to let their prejudices overwhelm the evidence.
Durham DA Mike Nifong’s unintended legacy might be that prosecutors everywhere are met with greater skepticism when they bring indictments.
