問題詳情

第二篇：   One of two basic attitudes sets the tone of a legal system. One is to presume that a defendant is innocent untilproven guilty. This particular concept places the burden of proof on the prosecution. The second attitude presumes theopposite: that a person is guilty of the crime he or she has been arrested for, and proof must be given to the contrary.Most legal systems embrace the first attitude, which is considered by many to be a basic human right. In fact, it iscalled for by Article 11 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).   The presumption of innocence is based on the conception of people as mostly honest and respectful of society’slaws. This principle aims to preserve the human dignity of accused persons, as well as to protect them from falseaccusations by corrupt authorities or others. Because the burden of proof is on the prosecution, the state’s legalenforcement, the law does not require an accused person to prove his innocence of to produce any evidence at all. Ifthe prosecution fails to make its case, the person is regarded as not guilty of the crime. Essentially, the idea behind hislegal proposition is that to punish an innocent person is the worst possible outcome. The 18th-century British jurist SirWilliam Blackstone summarized this ideal by saying, “Better that ten guilty persons escape than one innocent suffers.”   In jury systems like that of the United States, a jury is formed to render a verdict for court trials. Jury membersare summoned from the general population and consist of individuals who typically have little or no legal background.It is therefore necessary to ensure that the persons sitting on the jury are aware of the obligations each side has inpresenting their case. They are instructed and guided by the judge that the defendant must be considered an innocentperson. As long as there is a reasonable doubt, in all the evidence and arguments, as to the defendant’s havingcommitted any of the elements of the offense, the law explicitly dictates a not guilty verdict
16. What is the main idea of the passage above?
(A) How the politics, religion and culture of a country shape its legal system.
(B) The substance of Article 11 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
(C) How the presumption of innocence functions within legal systems.
(D) The historic development that the accused should be presumed innocent.

參考答案

答案：C
難度：適中0.606061
統計：A(4),B(8),C(20),D(1),E(0)

內容推薦

內容推薦