Price of freedom

How could our justice system allow Josh Powell to commit such heinous acts? In law school, I remember listening to one of Arizona's top criminal defense lawyers speak. During his remarks, a student asked, "How do you live with yourself knowing that the work you do may put murderers, rapists, and child abusers back on the street only to repeat their crimes?"

His response stunned me: "My true client is the future, falsely accused law abiding citizen. History has repeatedly shown that if there aren't advocates who will vigorously enforce every right promised to us as citizens, innocent people will be harmed by a rogue justice system."

False accusers will always exist whether we like it or not. And it is a defense attorney's job to make sure that our constitutional rights are protected from those who would ignore or chip away at them if allowed. There is a price to be paid in our system of checks and balances; that is, bad people sometimes go free on a "technicality." We must not forget that those "technicalities" happen to be constitutional rights that many brave souls have died to defend.

We live in a great country, regardless of its apparent failings.

RobRoy Platt

Lehi