The Constitution of the United States is considered to be a sacred document by most Americans. Which is unfortunate. Because there are many irrational parts to The Constitution. Perhaps the most glaring being the 5th Amendment, which guarantees a suspect's right to not incriminate herself. HOW FOOLISH! Clearly anyone suspected of committing a crime should be obligated to defend herself. She should have to account for her time and should be subject to cross-examination.
If suspects were required to answer questions, it would be much easier to convict criminals. Many criminals feel guilty about their crimes and admit to their guilt, if asked. But you have to ask them! Many criminals would lie, but often these lies are exposed and then it is far easier to convict them.
The 5th Amendment was enacted at a time in history when it was common for governments to torture people into confessing to crimes they did not commit. It is inappropriate for modern criminal justice systems such as those of the United States and most other nations. Under carefully controlled conditions that insure that a suspect is not coerced (which could be included in a revised 5th Amendment), all suspects should be interrogated by the appropriate criminal justice personnel.
Please add your comments about this and other controversial topics on my blog at http://missreason.blogspot.com.
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
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