Decrying the presumption of guilt
Re “In Court, Players Are Immersed in Issues of Right and Wrong,” Sept. 7
You quote Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Paul Minnetian, who states that there are only three types of criminal defendants: the mistaken, the repeat offenders and the “evil people.” This is a remarkable but representative position accepted by most prosecutors that perverts and even denies the existence of the “presumption of innocence,” a fundamental tenet of American law. There is an institutional assumption that everyone is guilty.
This prosecutor is, however, correct in his observation that there are only three types of criminal defendants in our courts. They are the guilty, the overcharged and the innocent.
MARK ARNOLD
Kern County public defender
Bakersfield
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