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fandomhigh2010-04-20 07:11 am
glasses-justice.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2010-04-20 07:11 am
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Concepts of Justice and The Law [Period 4, Class #15, Apr 20]
"Welcome to our last class together," Alex said, offering her students a light smile. "I'll be honest: I've really enjoyed our conversations this semester. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about justice, and thank you for your insights and perspectives on all the subjects we've covered. They've been nothing short of fascinating."
She gestured to the stack of papers on her desk. "This, of course, is your final. It's structured just like the midterm was. You can use anything you may have brought with you, but you shouldn't need to. You cannot work with your classmates, and I'll ask that you not talk to one another until all exams have been handed in. Even if you and your friend are both finished, the next person over might not be, and your conversation could be a distraction.
"Once you've handed in your exam, you're free to leave. Or, if you'd rather, you can stick around and tell me what you thought of class -- what I did wrong, what I did right, anything like that. But for now, you've got finals to complete. Good luck, and show me what you know."
She gestured to the stack of papers on her desk. "This, of course, is your final. It's structured just like the midterm was. You can use anything you may have brought with you, but you shouldn't need to. You cannot work with your classmates, and I'll ask that you not talk to one another until all exams have been handed in. Even if you and your friend are both finished, the next person over might not be, and your conversation could be a distraction.
"Once you've handed in your exam, you're free to leave. Or, if you'd rather, you can stick around and tell me what you thought of class -- what I did wrong, what I did right, anything like that. But for now, you've got finals to complete. Good luck, and show me what you know."
Re: Question 1: Innocence, Guilt and Reasonable Doubt - JST15
While I don't think I would ever go as far as making mental testimony mandatory, I would like to get Black Widows more involved in the judicial process. All members of the Blood have the ability to gather information and relive memories from another person's mind, especially when offered freely, but Black Widows have extensive training in dealing with mental landscapes--particularly when dealing with older, traumatic, and potentially augmented memories, able to distill truths from the chaff of minds and memories. But the ability to go into the minds of both parties and see the truth of the matter as they see it is invaluable.
Of course, that can't be the only measure of truth. There are those people who may have very good reasons (beyond innocence or guilt) to not want people in their minds, and this option is completely unsuitable for landens, as it presents a danger to them. For that, we'd need to put something similar to the 5th Amendment into place, where it is not considered damning to refuse to allow someone else to go into one's mind for evidence. As incredibly useful as that ability is, it cannot become the be-all, end-all of an investigation or trial, especially when it has the potential to be damaging to the individual's psyche.
I think the most important element one can put into place with an eye towards a system like Blackstone's is the knowledge that there is no one single rule that can be enforced in every case. Coming from a world of magic, we still don't have any foolproof measure to tell the innocent from the guilty. Keeping that in mind, as well as balancing compassion with justice, is probably the key.