Guilty until proven innocent?

"When you pass laws that make it easier to imprison people in cases where the state doesn't have enough evidence to prove the crime everyone knows they're actually prosecuting, you undermine the integrity of the justice system. The "flaw" that led to the Casey Anthony verdict is pretty straightforward: The state failed to prove its case. And the government must prove its case, even when all of America is 100 percent certain of the defendant's guilt, because we want to be sure the state will always also have to prove its case when we aren't so certain..." -Radley Balko: Why 'Caylee's Law' Is a Bad Idea.

So many of my friends and family have had opinions about the justice system falling about as a result of the Casey Anthony acquittal in the death of her daughter Caylee Anthony last week.

I didn't follow the trial and don't care about the woman. I'm sad that a child is dead, but there are thousands of missing children who don't receive any attention by Nancy Grace and ABC News.

But the only thing from the trial that interest me is this debate about guilt and what that really means. For many Black Americans, the idea of being innocent until proven guilty as our American justice system pronouces, isn't a reality. Each year, hundreds of men are incarcerated and convicted with faulty evidence and sometimes biased juries. In many cases, a lack of evidence doesn't matter in convicting someone. And while many Blacks are afforded all of the rights of the American justice system due to bias, it is amazing to see the justice system in a sense do what its supposed to do: make the government prove a person's guilt rather than unilaterally impose it.

If you ever need a reason as to why our government is required to prove that a person is guilty, read up on the case of Cory Maye in Prentiss, Mississippi.