Pleading not guilty in a court of law is not equivalent of saying "I didn't do it," it's really "I am not guilty of this charge as it is defined by law"
For example, say you hit a person with your car and kill them, and it's totally an accident. You would pleadn not guilty to, say, 1st or 2nd degree murder, because technicly the crime would be vehihcular manslaughter.
On the surface it seems like the law is needlessly pedantic, but such distinctions maintain consistency in that simmilar crimes are treated in more simmilar ways, which supports fair trials.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2002-09-23 11:02 am (UTC)Pleading not guilty in a court of law is not equivalent of saying "I didn't do it," it's really "I am not guilty of this charge as it is defined by law"
For example, say you hit a person with your car and kill them, and it's totally an accident. You would pleadn not guilty to, say, 1st or 2nd degree murder, because technicly the crime would be vehihcular manslaughter.
On the surface it seems like the law is needlessly pedantic, but such distinctions maintain consistency in that simmilar crimes are treated in more simmilar ways, which supports fair trials.