Presumed Innocent

In Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent we are able to glimpse as view from the inside of the criminal justice system. It is not a pretty picture. While the goal may be to "find the truth" according to Turow in the opening paragraph, there is no hope for justice if it lie undiscovered (3). Therefore, someone faced with criminal prosecution becomes the "focus of scrutiny" in jeopardy of losing life's most basic privileges in a justice system that often equates to a rolling-of-the-dice (2). The situation is risky and terrifying for the innocent man because the truth may not be believed by the jury or difficult to prove without a doubt or he may lack the resources needed to prove his innocence. The guilty man if he is rich has the potential of altering the chances of the outcome of his trial. Thus, Presumed Innocent mirrors real life because certain aspects of the criminal justice system thwart the prosecutor's efforts to discover the truth in order for justice to prevail. The three aspects analyzed are: collection and treatment of evidence; courtroom procedure; jury perceptions based on emotional appeals.

Collection and treatment of evidence is one reason why the truth is not discovered in Presumed Innocent. We saw during the O.J. Simpson trial how the defense team was able to ridicule and lessen the credibility of witnesses for the prosecution in regard to the collection and treatment of evidence. Two major examples of

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Category: Government - P