COMMENTARY: "Justice can't be treated as a business enterprise: The Freddy Patel case shows how market forces inevitably lead to creeping deregulation if applied to the legal system by Michael Mansfield, published in The Guardian on August 29, 2012. (Michael Mansfield QC is a human rights lawyer.)
GIST: It could be regarded as the understatement of the century to wonder where quality control of evidential sources has gone. This has immediate ramifications for the overall integrity of our system of justice and should ring alarm bells in all quarters. The whole sullied picture is exacerbated by the iniquitous cuts in public funding which have already hit forensic science resources but are also impacting upon the quality and numbers of personnel who are willing to engage in the system at all levels. If market forces are to be the determinative factor in the quest for truth then, just like most economies, we will be heading for irretrievable meltdown. Justice is not a business enterprise, still less a commodity. It is "truth in action"."
The entire story can be found at:http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/29/justice-business-enterprise-freddy-patel
The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html
Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.
