Thursday, July 25th, 2013
Perdido Key, Florida
TELEVISE CRIMINAL TRIALS? OF COURSE!
Following the Zimmerman verdict, a number of legal and media voices, hollered, “enough is enough.” Angered by the verdict, no more criminal trials on television, they said. But the Constitution guarantees that trials are public and open to everyone. And what could be more public than televising a criminal trial for the whole world to see?
Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker wrote last week that cameras should be taken out of the courtroom, particularly in high-profile trials. She concludes: “Our mighty respect for the public’s right to know — has clouded our judgment. There may be no way to quantitatively prove that cameras influence courtroom behavior and, possibly, a trial’s outcome. But anyone who’s ever sat in front of a camera knows that it is so.”
Now look, Ms. Parker. The criminal justice system could use some help. A majority of Americans feel that justice often doesn’t prevail. A nationwide poll by the respected Rasmussen Reports, taken just before the Zimmerman verdict, found that only 45 percent of Americans feel that the justice system is fair. Only 34 percent felt the system is fair to the poor. That’s a lot of cynicism — maybe more public trials would help the skeptics gain a little more confidence in a system where they feel that over half the time justice is not served.
America has a strong tradition of public trials. In early colonial America, courthouses were the centers of community life, and most citizens regularly attended criminal trials. In fact, trials frequently became community events. Citizens were knowledgeable about trials, and there was wide participation in the process — especially in rural America, where trials were often scheduled on market day, when local farmers came to town for supplies. Many courtrooms were built to accommodate 300 or more observers. Continue Reading……….