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jcranmer01/22/20252 repliesview on HN

> The presumption of innocence is a legal principle that every person accused of any crime is considered innocent until proven guilty.

That should be "considered innocent by the legal system". People are still free to come to their own conclusions--and act on them--even without a jury rendering a verdict.

Rather famously, for example, OJ Simpson was acquitted by a jury of murdering his wife. But most people these days would agree with the statement that he murdered his wife.


Replies

trosi01/22/2025

> That should be "considered innocent by the legal system"

Which is what matters when determining sentences.

> People are still free to come to their own conclusions--and act on them

People are definitely not free to act on their conclusions. That's vigilantism, what the comment above was referring to.

gunian01/22/2025

glove didn't fit

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