In a system that purports to consider suspects innocent until proven guilty, why is there stigma when the suspect is not proven guilty? The suspicion that they are actually guilty supersedes the idea that law enforcement (incl. the prosecutor) is fallible. The stigma derives from an authoritarian mindset in this way.
Yes, but that's a feature of human psychology. A lot of people are authoritarians, and in a society where free speech is constitutionally protected they enjoy the right to trumpet their opinions about the likely guilt of people being acquitted.
So would you agree that "innocent until proven guilty" is basically a lie, since "human psychology" drives society to consider suspects to be always-guilty regardless of the outcome of the accusation? At any rate, the stigma being discussed in this thread derives from this tendency of society, innate to its members or not.
No, of course not. A court can acquit someone but it can't control how everyone thinks about the process. If a certain percentage of the population are authoritarians who believe the police are always right and defense lawyers are always tricksy shysters, there's not much the court can do about it other than acknowledging the facts that point to an acquittal.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
What do you mean "if" a certain percentage of the population are authoritarians? You just described authoritarianism as (as I interpret you) basic human nature. However, I think it's cultural, so there is more to do than to throw ones hands up in powerlessness, and it has to do with the assumptions people make about the legal system (as I described). Stigma is not an innate attribute like a freckle.
Regardless, we could have shortened this thread considerably if you'd just said "eh, whaddya gonna do?" up front.
You just described authoritarianism as (as I interpret you) basic human nature.
I said 'a lot of people are authoritarians,' not that it was inherent. It varies from country to country, eg I think Swedes are somewhat less authoritarian than Americans in the aggregate.
