What is outrageous, but unfortunately not shocking, is those responsible for such a critical process are not rigorously measuring its accuracy. Android app developers know more about their success rate. It's from a pre-scientific age, where something that seems philosophically correct (a defense lawyer and a jury of your peers, an independent judge, dehydrating and bleeding sick people, the function of the pineal gland) is assumed to obtain correct outcomes. QED.
What is shocking is that the public, especially the great many who have interacted with the law enforcement system, continues to have faith in it. As long there is no political pressure from the public, the judiciary won't change.
Off the top of my head, two methods might better measure accuracy:
METHOD A
1) Take a random sample of prisoners
2) Re-examine the evidence in their cases in a highly rigorous way (the judicial system does not do this unless the defendant can afford it).
3) Most cases will be inconclusive (I think). From the conclusive cases, you can infer something about the accuracy of the judicial "method"
METHOD B
1) Identify kinds of evidence that meets scientific levels of accuracy, such as DNA
2) Start with the population in jail for which that evidence is available. Because most cases are settled by plea bargains, I expect it will be most cases.
3) Again, most cases will be inconclusive (I think). From the conclusive cases, you can infer something about the accuracy of the judicial "method"
What is shocking is that the public, especially the great many who have interacted with the law enforcement system, continues to have faith in it. As long there is no political pressure from the public, the judiciary won't change.
Off the top of my head, two methods might better measure accuracy:
METHOD A
1) Take a random sample of prisoners
2) Re-examine the evidence in their cases in a highly rigorous way (the judicial system does not do this unless the defendant can afford it).
3) Most cases will be inconclusive (I think). From the conclusive cases, you can infer something about the accuracy of the judicial "method"
METHOD B
1) Identify kinds of evidence that meets scientific levels of accuracy, such as DNA
2) Start with the population in jail for which that evidence is available. Because most cases are settled by plea bargains, I expect it will be most cases.
3) Again, most cases will be inconclusive (I think). From the conclusive cases, you can infer something about the accuracy of the judicial "method"