This Chicago DUI lawyer has posted here, here, and here on DUI decisions. Some of the decisions I thought were correct, others I disagreed with, still it's our justice system and sometimes it isn't perfect. That said, I was shocked by what a MADD spokesperson had to say about the jury process.
February 22, Belleville, IL
Illinois State Police charged James L. Griesbaum, 32, with driving under the influence after a stop on July 12, 2008, near Joliet, but when the case went to trial in November 2008 in Will County, a jury found Griesbaum not guilty, according to court records.Yikes! Talk about frightening. She has the audacity to challenge a jury because she thinks the result wasn't correct. Looks like she should be lobbying to prohibit anyone charged with a DUI having a trial. In fact, clearly her idea of justice is guilty once charged with a DUI. No need for a judge, a DUI lawyer, a prosecutor, let alone those 12 plus citizens who are away from work and family, listening to all of the evidence, deliberating, and then rendering a verdict. I know the police operate as judge and jury in some countries, but hopefully that view of justice isn't coming here, despite Ms. Hosea's thoughts to the contrary.
"A not-guilty verdict by a jury often shows the community sees drinking and driving as an acceptable behavior," said Kristi Hosea, spokeswoman for Illinois Mother's Against Drunk Driving. "It could also be a refusal where the defendant was not compelled to do a breathalyzer or provide a blood test to check for alcohol. Without that, it may be a difficult charge to prove."
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