Casey Anthony and Public Ignorance

I must admit that I did not pay much attention to the trial until the day the verdict was read. That day, I read a synopsis of the arguments of the defense and prosecution, and I have come to believe that the jurors made the correct decision.

The circumstances surrounding Caylee Anthony's death are mysterious, but all of the evidence that points to Casey's guilt is purely circumstantial: Not calling 911 when Caylee was found, and providing law enforcement with false information. The jury could not be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt of her guilt, and therefore they did not convict her. This is the correct thing to do.

What I'm most upset about is the public's reaction to the verdict. Nancy Grace fanned the flames of this trial, and whipped up a national frenzy, convincing spectators that Casey Anthony should be nailed harder than Jesus himself. It is not often that a trial with such a high profile as this one is divorced from greater society, and I am glad that the outcome of case has restored some of my confidence in the American judicial system.

But many other people do not feel that way. A chili restaurant in Florida has expressly banned the jurors involved in the trial, and a large portion of my active Facebook friends are equally angry. I think this betrays a profound misunderstanding of how our criminal justice system is supposed to work: Innocent before proven guilty. Is the State's case strong enough to warrant the effective end of a person's life?

But I would be naive to ignore the fact that many people who should go to jail--such as the CEO of Goldman Sachs, and Erik Prince, President of Blackwater (now Xe Services), or the high school football stars from Glen Ridge, NJ in 1989--do not; and there are others who do go to jail, but are not there for long, like Bernard Madoff.

Our justice system is not perfect, but the Casey Anthony trial is one important instance in which we get to see how it is supposed to work.

1) http://eater.com/archives/2011/07/07/florida-chili-restaurant-bans-casey-anthony-jurors.php

Further reading: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/07/05/why-casey-anthonys-verdict-makes-sense/ (Yes, I know it's a Fox News article, but it is a legitimately good read)