what is the bigger mistake? freeing a criminal or arresting a innocent?

Question

what is the bigger mistake? freeing a criminal or arresting a innocent

Answer 1

Freeing a criminal allows them to commit more crime, which harms society. Arresting an innocent prevents the same innocent from contributing to society, and also costs society money that goes to waste. In economics, arresting an innocent is worse than freeing a criminal.

Arresting an innocent creates paranoia in the community when the mistake is discovered, while freeing a criminal creates paranoia as well. No judgement can be made in terms of politics.

Morality: an innocent man suffers for being imprisoned, and loses his faith in humanity - he may even become a criminal. A criminal, when released, remains the same person. The greater evil is to imprison an innocent man.

Two votes for freeing a criminal, and a third undecided. The bigger mistake is to arrest the innocent.

Answer 2

Arresting a innocent. Most criminals will eventually get caught or busted for something else. How would you feel if you were arrested for something you didn't do. There is one exception to the rule though. If the innocent person knew who was guilty of the crime and kept their mouth shut and did the time instead. To give you a example someone did time for a bank robbery that they didn't do but that guy knew his cousin did it but wouldn't fink him out. His cousin used his car in the get away. The stooge did some time like 5 years or so. Talk about stupid he did 5 years of his life because his own cousin was gutless and couldn't live up to his own crime. So a innocent person can do time and be guilty at the same time.

Answer 3

It depends...If you are arrested, they can only hold you for so long until they actually charge you for the crime. When they officially charge you, every person has the right to a speedy trial. Often times, this right is given up as the individual isn't aware of their civic rights. Also, Bush has (in the overall picture) very little to do with the actual workings of the criminal justice system. If the legislative branch really wants to overrule the president, they do have that right. They have to pass laws before they are ever put in front of the President. Even when the President vetos something, the legislative branch can override his veto with (I think it's a) 2/3 vote. This is to keep the President from having too much power over the country. As for guilty until proven innocent, I agree that our criminal justice system as become warped and it's becoming harder and harder to prove innocence when in reality the CJS should prove you are guilty. Unfortunately, it's something that most people aren't aware of until they are caught in the middle of it and by then it's too late to take a stand against it.

Answer 4

They are both a mistake. Arresting an innocent person can cause emotional scars because they were accused of doing something they did not. Freeing a criminal is also a mistake. Because they will go back to the way they were before they were locked up.

Answer 5

Arresting an innocent. The criminal will probably do something to get himself caught again; the innocent will have been punished for nothing.

Answer 6

By far, without a doubt, the more aggregious act is convicting and punishing an innocent.

Arresting? Not so much, because that's part of the process, but CONVICTING an innocent flies against the entire concept of fundamental, inalienable rights.

As Moses Maimonides once said, "it is better and more desirable that 1,000 sinners be set free, than to kill one innocent man a single time."

Answer 7

Arresting an innocent because more often than not, the prosecutor has already made up their mind that this person is guilty and will use the law and whatever evidence they can dredge up to go after that person.

A criminal who is wrongly freed can always be caught again and usually will be.

Answer 8

Any second spent punishing an innocent person is one second too many.
There have been many cases of innocent people getting killed behind bars. One that I recall is a young man who was killed just hours before being released...meanwhile the district attorney's office was stalling trying to please the general public, though they had already determined he was innocent. He was raped, stabbed and beaten to death.
Releasing a criminal prematurely is also bad...especially violent criminals and those with a high recidivism rate (like rapists).

Answer 9

Freeing a criminal naturally. He's had his day in court. As far as arresting an innocent person. I would'nt be arresting him if i know for sure he was innocent.(presumed innocent,until proven guilty). they may at first blush have evidence to arrest him. take them before a majestrate to determine that fact. if Judge says no,he's free no harm done. if they knowingly maufactured evidence to get him bound over for trial,that's a different horse. then yes (if it's proven)thats a big mistake.

Answer 10

By a wide margin---arresting an innocent